Pokemon X: Downfall
by Crazybird101
Summary: 2 years after the defeat of Team Flare, a new hero from the Hoenn Region arrives. Sixteen year old Aiden Xavier, along with his Pokemon, will travel the Kalos Region to become the next champion. Along the way he will make new friends, enemies, and face the full fury of someone who's bent on revenge. AU
1. Chapter 1

**... Okay. Maybe having the prequel out so early wasn't a good idea... But here's the sequel to Pokemon Y: Beyond.**

**This occurs two years after the events of Y. And a new hero will arrive and take Natalie's place. Who is this hero? Here's a better description:**

**Name: Aiden Xavier. **

**Family: Calem Xavier is his cousin.**

**Age: 16**

**Description: Fair skin. Gray Eyes. Black Medium Perm style hair.**

**Clothes: Black Logo Cap. Navy blue Zipped Jacket. Damaged Jeans. Short Black Boots. Aqua Two-Tone Bag. No accessories on the hat.**

**Warning: Major AU. OOCness. Drama. Humor. Suspense. Angst. Mild Language. Violence. Mentioned Pokemon Death. Possible spoilers for X. Possible writing errors -.-**

**I do NOT own Pokemon**

**Flames will be used to power the ultimate weapon.**

**X.X**

Lumiose City was as lively as ever. People shopping here and others eating there. Basically it was just another part of their daily lives. Kalos International Airport was no different. People from many different regions came and went from this very airport. Whether it was coming, going, or visiting. Kalos, after all, is a hotspot for tourist.

...

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now landing in the Kalos Region. Please buckle up and stay seated in your seats until told to get up."_

"Hear that, Torchic? We're here! We're finally here!"

"Torchic! Torchic!" the orange chick chirped happily while perched on his Trainer's shoulder.

The airplane soon landed on the runway. Skidding a bit before coming to a slow halt. Soon everyone on boarded unbuckled themselves and left the aircraft. Leaving the terminal, the boy and his Torchic ran out with an enthusiastic grin on his face as he scaned his new surroundings. Everything looked so different compared to the airport back in Hoenn. After checking his way through customs and all of that good stuff, he was finally out of the crowd and in the waiting area where people waited for friends or relatives.

_Now where could he be_? the trainer thought as he scanned the crowd for that particular someone.

"Aiden!"

"Torchic!" Torchic cried happily. Aiden turned around and grinned when he saw who it was. Dressed in a white Zipped Shirt Combo with black Vinyl Pants along with white sneakers was none other than Kalos Pokemon Champion Calem Xavier. The older teen stood with one hand on his hip and a smile on his face. His gray eyes glittering with pride and power.

"Cousin Calem!" Aiden cried before the two happily embraced, "It's been so long!"

"I feel the same way, 'cous." Calem said before he pulled away and examined his cousin, "You've certainly grown a bit since I last saw you. And, oh! Is this your partner Pokemon?" he asked as stroked it under it's beak with a finger. This earned him pleased purrs from the Pokemon.

"Yep!" Aiden said proudly as he stroked his Pokemon as well. "Calem! Meet Torchic. Torchic, meet Calem."

"Torchic!" Torchic greeted.

Calem smiled and nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Torchic. I'm sure you'll watch out for my cousin during his journey here. Well then!" he clapped his hands together and rubbed them, "Let's catch up shall we? There's people I want you to meet."

...

Using his Altaria, Calem and his cousin traveled from Lumiose City and back to Vaniville Town. As soon as they entered his home, people suddenly jumped out from behind furniture. Throwing confetti and streams while screaming "Surprise!" in unison. Aiden laughed and looked up at his cousin. "What's this about?" he asked.

"It's you're 'Welcome to Kalos' Party! Mom and I planned the whole thing ourselves." Calem replied.

"With help!" a girl, about the age of fourteen perhaps, added as she stepped forward. Her skin was a bit dark and her hair was tied into long twin ponytails. She wore a pink top and pale tan shorts with tennis shoes.

"Oh, yes, of course. Thanks Shauna" Calem chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"How's my little nephew doing?" Mrs. Xavier asked as she ran over and embraced him in a tight hug.

"Good, Auntie." Aiden replied before being hugged by his Uncle.

"It's good to see that you've grown into such a fine young man." Mr. Xavier said, "Look at you! You're the spitting image of Calem when he first started his journey two years back. Oh, they grow up so fast."

"Dad!" Calem groaned bewteen clenched teeth.

"So you're Calem's cousin?" a twelve year-old boy said as he walked up to him. He then stood tall and outstretched his hand, "Nice to meet you. I'm Trevor."

Aiden smiled. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Aiden." he said before the two shook his hands. Trevor then looked over to shoulder and spotted the Torchic perched on it.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, "A Torchic! I've never seen a Torchic up close before!" He frantically reached into his bag before pulling out his Pokedex.

"Here we go again." Shauna sighed as she rolled her eyes.

**'Torchic: the Chick Pokemon. It has a flame sac inside its belly that perpetually burns. It feels warm if it is hugged.'**

"Incredible!" Trevor said in awe.

"Oh, please. You say that to almost every Pokemon you meet." Shauna said as she walked up and stood beside him. "My name's Shauna! Nice to neet you!" she said with an enthusiastic grin on her face.

"And I'm Tierno." a much larger boy said.

"I'm Aiden. I hope we can all become friends over time!" Aiden said with a laugh.

There was a knock on the door. Everyone looked over and saw a woman standing outside with a Fletchling perched on her shoulder. There was a kind expression on her face as she looked at everyone. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but I couldn't help but come over and see what it's about."

"It's not a problem, Grace." Mrs. Xavier said assuringly.

"Grace?" Aiden asked before he spun around and looked over to the former Ryhorn Racer. "You mean _the _Grace Dane? Grace Dane as in the most legendary Ryhorn Racer of all time!?"

"Well," Grace chuckled, "I wouldn't say _legendary_..."

"No! Really!" Aiden grinned, "You're well known amongst the Ryhorn Racing Community! And...I'm sorry about your husband."

Grace tensed slightly before nodding. "I thank you for your kidness." she said with a smile.

"By the way, I heard you had a daughter too." Aiden looked around, "Where is she?" Silence suddenly swept over everyone. Grace's smile dimmed. Sad expressions appeared on Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno's faces. And Calem silently lowered his head. Aiden looked around in confusion before fear struck him. Had he said something wrong? "What's...wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." Grace gently placed her hand on Aiden's other shoulder, "It's just I haven't seen my daughter in so long. She hasn't contacted any of us since the incident in Geosenge Town two years back."

"You mean that thing? It was all over the news! I even saw the parade after Calem won the Pokemon League. The way you fought that really, really, tall dude! THAT was awesome. My mom cried when that one Pokemon holding the flower suddenly came floating down."

"Floette." Calem corrected. Smiling at the fond memories of the little Pokemon. If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have defeated Lysandre. The man behind the now disbanded group known as Team Flare.

"I have a good feeling about you, Aiden." Grace said fondly, "There's something about that reminds me of Natalie." The woman then sighed and looked out the window. "Arceus, I hope she's alright..."

**X.X**

**Behold! The sequel to Pokemon Y: Downfall. Don't ask about the downfall part. But Aiden will be playing the role as the main hero from now on. He'll be going around Kalos and earning badges, mega evolution, all that good stuff.**


	2. Chapter 2

**X.X**

You're really gonna like it here in Kalos." Calem said to his cousin as they flew back to Lumiose City.

The party had certainly been and interesting one. One of the most interesting parties he's ever been to. He had heard the name Natalie before on television when he was younger. Especially when she and her mother were headlines on the news after the death of her husband. It certainly was a tragedy, but she seemed to have gotten over it. The party went on until the late evening hours. After cleaning up and having supper he shared a room with Calem. They left as soon as the sun came up. Now they were currently flying over to the Pokemon Lab back in Lumiose City. This is where he would get his Kalos starter Pokemon and Pokedex.

After a few minutes of flying, Calem told his Altaria to land. The cloud-like Pokemon chirped happily in reply before landing in front of the steps leading up to the lab. "Thanks for the lift, Altaria." Calem said as he caressed his Pokemon's head before returning him to his Pokeball.

"So who's the Pokemon Professor here?" Aiden asked. Certainly this one is going to be very different from Prof. Birch back in Hoenn. Boy! What a guy he is.

"Well it was a man called Augustine Sycamore." Calem explained as they walked up the steps, "But he left Kalos two years ago. No one knows why. Some say it's because I killed Lysandre. It turns out that the two were pretty tight."

Aiden smirked. "Like..._lovers _tight?"

"No!" Calem exclaimed in disgust while Aiden just threw his head back and laughed.

"Relax, cousin, relax. I'm only kidding."

Calem frowned at the slightly younger teen before knocking on the lab doors. There was an unlocking sound coming from behind and the door opened to reveal a young, lightly tanned woman about Aiden's height with purple hair. "Can I help you two?" she asked politely.

"Yes. We're here to see Professor Green Oak." Calem replied.

"Wait. Green?" Aiden asked. He's heard of the name before! Green is the rival of world Pokemon Champion Red. A few years back he decided to retire rather early from Pokemon Training and become a Pokemon Professor instead. Like his grandfather, Professor Samuel Oak. What would Green be doing in Kalos?

"Ah! Yes. The Professor's been waiting for the both of you. Please, come in." the woman said before stepping to the side.

"Thank you." Calem said as he and Aiden entered the lab lobby.

"I'll go get him now. Please wait here for a bit." the young woman said before she ran up the steps and took the elevator.

"Calem." Aiden asked, "What's Prof. Green doing here? I thought he was studying back in Kanto."

"He was." Calem explained, "But he graduated from being Professor's assistant and decided to come to Kalos and take Sycamore's place after he left. We were in need of a new professor anyway. But he isn't so bad, though. He's actually really nice once you get to know him."

_Ding_

The elevator doors parted and the young woman returned. Behind her was a young man in his late twenties with light brown hair and pure green eyes. He wore a white lab coat with a green undershirt and dark green jeans with black shoes.

"Ah! Calem." Green said as he walked down the steps with both hands in his lab coat pockets and a cool expression on his face.

"Professor." Calem said as he gave the man a slight bow.

"Thank you Sina. I'll take things from here."

"Yes, Professor." Sina said before she left.

"So!" Green clapped his hands together, "You must be Aiden, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir." Aiden replied.

"Nice to meet you. As you probably know, I'm Professor Green. Also known as the former Gym Leader of Viridian City."

"Why'd you decide to become Pokemon professor?" Aiden asked.

Green chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I really love Pokemon. So I wanted to learn more about them. So I decided to become a professor and placed Blue in charge of the Viridian City Gym instead."

"Oh! And how is Blue?" Calem asked.

"She's doing fine." Green replied, "Anyway, back to business. You're from the Hoenn region, yes?"

Aiden nodded.

"How come you didn't participate in the Hoenn League?" Green crossed his arms curiously.

"Well... After hearing my cousin talk about how cool Kalos was, I just had to come. I was given Torchic on my sixteenth birthday a few months ago by my parents. Anyway, I wanted to come to Kalos and participate here instead."

"You've come a long way from home, Aiden." Green said before he smiled, "Reminds me of when Red and I started our Pokemon Journeys. I don't know how he's doing now but I'm pretty sure he's fine. Anyway, I better show you the starters then. This way."

...

Three Pokemon were lined up on the table. Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. They all looked up at Aiden and the others with friendly expressions on their faces and cute looks that would melt anyone's heart. Aiden tapped his bottom lip as he tried to make his decision. Only three to choose and so little time! Considering that he already had a Fire type with him, Fennekin was crossed out. He wouldn't mind taking Chespin, he didn't want him to get hurt accidentally by Torchic. So he's left out. So that leaves Froakie...

Aiden smiled as he walked over to the blue frog and looked into his eyes with a smile. "Hiya, Froakie!" Aiden said, "My name's Aiden."

"Froak?" The Froakie cocked his head curiously. Aiden giggled before he mimicked the Pokemon's movement playfully. Froakie cocked his head the other way and Aiden followed. "Froakie! Froakie!" Froakie croaked happily before jumping into Aiden's arms and cuddling up to him. Aiden laughed happily before looking over to Green and Calem.

"Looks like Froakie it is, then." Green said.

"You better introduce him to Torchic. The earlier the better." Calem added.

"Oh, yeah." Aiden replied. Reaching into his bag he brought out the Poke Ball that contained Torchic and released him.

"Torchic!" Torchic cried happily, making a little hop. "Chic?" the red bird looked up and cocked his head curiously when he noticed the other Pokemon in his Trainer's arms. Aiden got down on both knees and placed Froakie in front of Torchic.

"Torchic, meet Froakie. Froakie, meet Torchic. You two are gonna be traveling together from now on so I expect you two to get along." Aiden said.

"Froak?" Froakie a bit closer to Torchic and sniffed him. "I've never seen a Pokemon like you before." the blue frog said.

"Me too." Torchic agreed, "I'm from Hoenn."

"Cool. I'm from Kalos." Froakie replied, "I hope we can become friends."

Torchic smiled. "I hope so, too. But I have a good feeling that we will!"

Calem, Green, and Aiden all laughed softly as they watched the two chirp and croak to one another. "I wonder what they're saying?" Aiden asked as he watched them.

"Beats me." Green said, "If Yellow were here then she'd probably be able to know. Anywho, here's your official Kalos Pokedex."

Aiden grinned as he accepted the device from Green. "This looks cool!" he said before activating it on Froakie.

**'Froakie: the Bubble Frog Pokemon. It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked.'**

"'Take when attacked'..." Aiden repeated to himself before smiling up at Froakie. "Looks like I chose a fighter like Torchic! I have a feeling the three of us are going to accomplish great things!"

"Torchic!" Torchic chirpped in agreement.

"Froakie!" Froakie added.

Aiden smiled at the both of them before returning them to their Poke Balls. "So," he said as he turned back to Green and Calem, "Where's the first gym at?"

"Excited already, huh?" Calem said. He then reached into his pocket and brought out a digital map. Upon opening it it revealed a holo image of the Kalos region. "There is a gym here in Lumiose City. But I advise you challenge him when you're strong enough. There is a gym in Santalune City-which is south of here-you could go to. The gym leader there specializes in Bug type Pokemon."

"Sweet!" Aiden said, "This one should be a breeze with Torchic by my side."

"But remember, though." Green added sternly, "Pokemon aren't just used for battles. They are also our friends. They are living, breathing creatures. So before you challenge a gym, battle some trainers so your bond could start to grow. The closer you are with your Pokemon, the stronger you are."

Aiden blinked before nodding. "Right." he said.

**X.X**

**Yes, yes, I KNOW Green isn't a guy in the American Version. But honestly, Green sounds more like a guy name then Blue. But his Pokemon will be the ones from the game. Since this occurs in the game universe. And a bit of the manga.**


	3. Chapter 3

**X.X**

Aiden had never been so excited in his life. Not since he received his first Pokemon from his parents a few month back. Life couldn't be more thrilling for him. He certainly didn't regret saving up all of his birthday and Christmas money just to buy a plane ticket and come to Kalos. He is, after all, new to the entire region. He had long parted ways from his cousin and was now on his own.

Santalune Forest is probably one of the most nicest forests he's been to. He's already run into some new and interesting Pokemon. Even some who were from the Unova region! He'd also ran into a few trainers who asked for a quick battle. His first battle hadn't gone so well. He was just surprised he managed to make it out alive. Luckily for his Pokemon, he was stocked up on Potions and new how to use them. By the time it was dusk he had already settled down to camp for the night. He found himself a nice spot in a clearing away from the trees as to prevent any forest fires.

"It sure is lonely out here." Aiden said as he picked the fire a bit with a stick. "It's no wonder nobody lives out here. But then again, who would? Places like these don't deserve to be destroyed."

"Chic. Chic..." Torchic agreed tiredly. Froakie was leaning against Torchic's side. Asleep.

"I guess we better turn in for the night, huh? We have a big day tomorrow after all." Aiden laughed softly as he stroked underneath the little bird's beak. Torchic purred happily. Ruffling his red feathers slightly. The chick suddenly snapped his head up, accidentally waking Froakie up.

"Froak?" the blue Pokemon said tiredly. But that was soon replaced replaced with a look of high alert as his instincts kicked into overdrive.

"What's wrong?" Aiden asked.

Rustling was heard. Aiden froze. Both of his Pokemon stood in defensive positions to protect their Trainer. Aiden bit his bottom lip lightly. Nervousness struck him like a bomb. What kind of Pokemon was it? Is it one that is likely to pose a threat to him and his Pokemon? There have been reports of wild Pokemon attacks on humand. But there's never been reports of a fatality...

A pair of silvery pointy ear suddenly poked up from within the brush. Aiden felt every muscle in his body tense. His Pokemon started growling at the brush. The ears swiftly disappeared before an entire head replaced it. The Pokemon was a silver color with a pair of big black eyes and a little black nose. The Pokemon herself cocked her head sideways curiously as she stared at Aiden and his Pokemon. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. It was an Eevee. But there was something unusual about this one. Whenever a breeze brushed against the silver fur of this Eevee, blue glitter-like sparkles wete seen. This was no ordinary Eevee. This was a shiny Eevee!

"Hey, there, girl." Aiden said softly as he slowly leaned forward. Eevees were known to be incredibly shy towards humans. Which is why they are so rarely seen. Let alone a _shiny _Eevee. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." he added, slowly reaching his hand out for the Pokemon to sniff. The shiny slowly emerged from the brush. Her sliver fur covered in bits and pieces of twigs and leaves. Aiden felt the wet noise brush against the tips of his fingers as she sniffed him.

"Vee!" the Eevee cried happily.

Aiden laughed softly. With caution, he gently stroked the Pokemon in between her ears. The shiny purred happily before nuzzling back. "You're a nice girl, aren't you?" Aiden said. "If you're this close to humans, then you must be someone else's. Are you lost?"

"Mica!" a femme voice suddenly cried.

The shiny's ears suddenly perked up and she looked back towards the direction she came from. There was another rustling sound and both Torchic and Froakie were back on their guard. A silhouette of a slender figure appeared from the forest. Once the light of the fire, the figure appeared to be that of s fifteen year-old girl. She had fair skin with blue hair that was tied into a ponytail with bangs and her eyes being a flashy blue color. She wore a White High-Waisted Outfit with Aqua Mary Jane shoes. In her hands was a Aqua Ribbon Purse.

"Vee!" the Eevee cried happily.

"Mica!" the girl cried before she dropped her purse and embraced her Pokemon.

"Is she yours?" Aiden asked as he got to his feet.

"Mm hm." the girl replied, "We were looking for a Pokemon of mine when we suddenly got separated. I was so worried that I started to panic a bit. Thank Arceus she is alright, though. Anyway, I'm Vivienne. But my friends call me Viv for short."

"I'm Aiden." Aiden said, "And these are my partners Torchic and Froakie."

"Torchic!" Torchic chirped.

"Froak!" Froakie croaked.

Vivienne giggled. "You're Pokemon are adorable. I'm pretty sure you guys already met my partner Mica."

"Eevee!" Mica yipped.

"So what's this Pokemon you're looking for?" Aiden asked.

"My Vulpix." Vivienne replied, "Her name is Miyu. She's a little adventurous, you can. But sometimes she tends to get a little too adventurous, and often tends to wander away from the group. Which is why Mica and I are looking for her now. But it's gotten dark and now I'm really worried for her."

"Huh." Aiden blinked and thought for a bit before smiling at the Trainer. "It's settled, then. We'll help you find her!" he said. All three Pokemon looked at him with confused expressions. Vivienne, however, only blinked.

"You mean you'll really help?" The young Trainer smiled gratefully, "I don't know how to repay you for your kindness."

"There's no need for you to worry your pretty little head about that. As long as your Pokemon is found safe and sound, that's a good enough reward for me." Aiden said.

...

"Miyu!" Torchic cried out.

"Miyu! Where are you!?" Froakie called from the trees.

"Come out, Miyu! This isn't funny!" Mica said after looking in a shallow den.

"It's hopeless..." Froakie sighed after hopping down a tree and landing beside Torchic, "We'll never find her. Especially at night."

"But we can't give up now!" Mica protested, "Miyu is like a sister to me! We have to find her before something awful happens to her!"

"But where can we find her?" Torchic said, "This forest is too darn big for us. She could be anywhere!"

The trio fell silent as they all, in unison, lowered their heads in thought. Finally, Froakie looked up and snapped his fingers. "I got it!" he announced, "Mica, where do you usually find Miyu at?"

Mica thought about the question for a bit. "My Trainer Viv and I often find her at-or near-some kind of water source. Like a lake or fountain. But she's not even suppose to be near them because she's a Fire type."

"So we should try to find a water source then." Torchic said, "But where do we even begin?"

"I can hop up a tree and scan from above." Froakie suggested.

"You do that." Torchic said. Froakie nodded before he speedily hopped up a nearby tree. Torchic lowered his head and sighed. "I wonder if our Trainers are having much luck." he muttered thoughtfully to himself.

...

"So...what brings you to Kalos?" Vivienne asked.

"My cousin's the champion." Aiden replied, "I decided to come here and compete in the Kalos League so I can challenge him myself."

"Isn't he the one who saved Kalos two years back?"

"Yep. And what an achievement that must've been." Aiden chuckled, "So what about you? Are you on a journey as well?"

"Mmm." Vivienne thought for a bit. "Something like that. You see I'm actually from Johto."

"Cool. I've been to Johto before. It's really nice there 'n all. Those Kimono Girls are really good dancers."

There was rustling from above and Froakie suddenly landed in front of them. "Froakie!" Aiden said before crouching down in front of him, "Any luck yet?"

"Froakie, froakie..." Froakie shook his head sadly. Both Trainers sighed in unison.

"You don't have to help you know." Vivienne said gently.

"No way. When there's a Pokemon involved, I'm gonna help however I can." Aiden said.

"TORCHIC! TORCHIC!"

"What was that?" Vivienne asked.

"That sounded like Torchic!" Aiden said before running in the direction of the cry. Vivienne and Froakie followed closely from behind. They ran through some bushes before coming upon a riverside where both Torchic and Mica both stood. The water was passing by at a speed that could sweep anyone away.

"VUL! VUL!"

"LOOK!" Aiden cried.

Getting pounded against a rock was a Vulpix. The become cried out in pain and terror as she desperately tired to cling on for dear life. Vivienne gasped in horror.

"MIYU!" she screamed.

"Froakie you gotta get in there and help her!" Aiden yelled.

Froakie nodded before jumping into the raging currents. Because of this it gave Froakie enough boost to swim faster. Soon he was beside the frightened Vulpix.

"Are you Miyu!?" he yelled over the rapids.

"YES!" Miyu cried, "Are you here to save me!?"

"Yeah! I need you to grab on to me so that I can swim us to shore!"

"Are you sure!?" Miyu asked hesitantly.

"Trust me on this!" Froakie yelled.

Miyu blinked hesitantly before nodding firmly. Carefully, she released her paws from the rock and carefully clung onto Froakie. Because of the bubbles around him, she was able to stick on. "Hold on tight!" Froakie yelled before kicking forward. Miyu whimpered as the water pounded against her face. She was beginning to regret coming to this river. "LOOK OUT!" she screamed. Froakie looked up just as a giant wave hit them, bringing them under.

"FROAKIE!" Aiden cried.

"MIYU!" Vivienne screamed. Swiftly, she brought out a third Poke Ball and threw it up. "Tatsu! I need you!" she cried. The capsule opened to reveal a male Totodile. The blue lizard jumped happily before turning to his Trainer. "Tatsu! You have to go into the water and save Miyu and this boy's Froakie!" Tatsu nodded before diving into the water.

Aiden, Vivienne, Torchic and Mica all watched held their breaths as they watched the river carefully for anything that would rise up to the surface.

_Please... _Aiden thought, gritting his teeth anxiously.

_SPLASH!_

Tatsu returned to the surface with Froakie and Miyu holding onto the spines on his back.

"FROAKIE!" Aiden cried joyfully.

"OH! THANK ARCEUS!" Vivienne wailed in joy as she embraced all three Pokemon. Even though Froakie wasn't hers. After letting them go, Torchic and Mica ran over and nuzzled them happily.

"Maybe now she'll learn not to wander away from you." Aiden chuckled.

**X.X**

**Dam dadada DA!**

**I introduced a new OC! And there's plenty more where that came from!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: Apparently, I screwed up majorly on the location of Santalune Forest. But how about we say Aiden started in Aquacorde Town, hm? After he returned from Lumiose...**

**X.X**

I can't thank you again for helping me find Miyu." Vivienne said.

"Vee!" Mica, who was being held in her Trainer's arms, yipped.

Aiden nodded. "And I can't thank you enough for saving my Froakie. If anything were to happen to him then I don't know what I would do."

Vivienne giggled. "I guess we're even now." she said with a wink.

"I guess so." Aiden chuckled.

"So you're going to be heading over to Santalune City now, huh." Vivienne said.

"Yep. But we're are you two heading off to?"

"Mica and I are gonna travel Kalos for a while. So we're going to stop at Aquacorde Town next."

"Sounds pretty neat." Aiden said, "Well it was really nice meeting you."

"Same here." Vivienne nodded, "Good luck on your journey."

"Same here. Hopefully we'll run into one another again."

After waving each other goodbye, both Trainers went their separate ways. Aiden continued walking down the path through the forest. The events that had occurred last night was still fresh in his mind. If Vivienne hadn't called out her Totodile, who knows what might've happened to Froakie and Miyu. Aiden then noticed more sunlight ahead. He smiled once he was finally back in the open land. He stretched out his arms a bit and embraced the warm sunlight.

"That's good." he said to himself before sighing in relaxation. A few minutes later he soon arrived in Santalune City. The small city was bustling with activity. Trainers of many age differences were busy battling with one another or just strolling around. Aiden couldn't help but marvel at the variety of different Pokemon around him. The walk through Santalune Forest certainly was worth it. The young man approached a building with the Pokemon League insignia on the front.

"This must be the place." he said to himself before approaching the door. There was a sign tapped on the front.

**The Santalune City Gym is currently closed for the day.**

**Please come back another day.**

**We apologize for any convenience. **

**- Santalune City Gym**

"What the hell!?" Aiden cursed aloud. Attracting some unnecessary attention from the people around him. "I traveled all the way here, only to find out that the damn place is _closed_!? Arceus damn it!" Aiden angrily stomped his foot on the pavent. Shoulders hunched and a fuming expression on his face, Aiden turned on his heel and angrily stomped away. He was known to have quite the temper when things didn't go his way. Something he's been trying to work on since childhood. He hoped this journey would help him break the habit. But so far it isn't doing a damn good job. The young man eventually took a seat by the fountain and cooled down. Slouching on the bench, he placed both his arms behind his head and stared up at the clear blue sky. Pondering on what he should do since the Gym Leader was gone.

"Arceus, damn." he sighed softly to himself. Who would've guessed that a journey would be so hard. Then again, no one said it would be this easy.

"Is something troubling you?" a kind voice asked.

"Huh?" Aiden languidly turned his head over just a woman sat in the empty spot beside him. She wore the kind of clothing someone who delt with nature would wear. She had blonde hair and dark green eyes that held a determined look in them. facade gave Aiden a kind smile as she looked at him. "Can I help you?" Aiden drawled.

"I saw you sitting by yourself and figured something must've been wrong. I'm sorry if I disturbed you or anything." the woman replied.

"What? Oh. No, no. You weren't disturbing anything. I was only thinking." Aiden replied as he sat up, "I'm Aiden by the way."

"Viola." the woman replied, "I'm a local photographer here."

"Nice to meet you, Viola." Aiden replied as he shook her hand.

"So what brings you over to Santalune City? Are you here to challenge the Gym?" Viola asked.

"Yep." Aiden sighed, "But when I went over I saw that the place was closed for the day. Boy, was I pissed."

"Yeah? You're not the only one." Viola said, "It's just Gym Leaders have a life beyond Gym leading. They need time to themselves, too."

"I guess. It's just I have nothing else to do. I already battled some Trainers in Santalune Forest so that's enough."

"Hmm." Viola suddenly had a pondering look on her face. She crossed her legs and cupped her chin in thought before clapping her hands together. "I know! Why don't you be my assistant for the day?" she asked.

"What?" Aiden asked, not really realizing what just happened.

"If you got nothing better to do, then why not help me out in the field? As I said, I'm a local photographer. But even photographers need help! What do you say?"

Aiden blinked. "But I know almost nothing about cameras!" he said.

"That's alright! I can teach you. It's really not that hard."

Aiden didn't feel so sure. But in the end he managed to put up a smile and nod. "Why not? Since I'm here I might as well learn."

"Great!" Viola shot up and grinned happily, "I can take you to my studio now and then head on out to

Route 4."

"Sounds good." Aiden said as he stood up, "Lead the way."

...

A Skitty happily ran by. Wagging its tail as it curiously sniffed an orange flower before jumping back in surprise. The flower rose up to reveal that of a Flabebe.

_Click_

The sound of the camera shutter clicked silently after Viola snapped a photograph. "That's a nice shot." Viola whispered lowly so the Pokemon wouldn't hear. She raised up her camera and took another picture before the skitty and Flabebe went into hiding. "You have to be very quiet when it comes to photographing wild Pokemon." Viola instructed softly.

"I can see that." Aiden said.

Viola then removed the strap that held her camera around her neck and placed it over Aiden's instead. "Now you try." she said.

Aiden held the camera in his hands before looking for anything that would make a good picture. He looked over to a waterfall that was nearby and spotted a Azumarill and Marill playing near it. Raising the camera, he steadied his focus on the two Pokemon before snapping a photo.

"That should make a good picture." Viola praised, "Not bad for a rookie."

"Thanks." Aiden replied, "How long have you been a photographer?"

"Since I was seven." Viola replied, "The camera you have in your hands is my first."

"Really? That's cool." Aiden said. Rustling was suddenly heard. Aiden and Viola looked over their shoulders and noticed a Pokemon rummaging through Aiden's bag. "Hey!" Aiden barked. The Pokemon immediately pulled it's head out and blinked at the two before scurrying back into the woods. Aiden handed Viola her camera back before heading over to his bag to clean up the mess it made. "What the hell was that Pokemon?" he asked.

"That was a Zorua." Viola replied, "They're normally found in the Unova region. But they can be found here as well. But rarely, though. I've never seen one on Route 4 before."

"Could it be a Trainer's?" Aiden asked, remembering how he first met Mica.

"No. I doubt someone would just let their Pokemon out of their Poke Ball just to have them cause trouble. Zorua's are known to be little pranksters sometimes."

"Hm." Aiden stared in the direction the Zorua ran off in before heading back to the hiding spot with Viola.

"Let's get a few more pictures and head back to town for some coffee." Viola said.

"Sounds great. I could really use some coffee right about now." Aiden chuckled as he and Viola walked beside the river.

In the brush, that same Zorua poked his head out and looked curiously at Aiden. Jumping out of the bush, he shook some twigs off before running after them.

...

After an entire afternoon of photographing, Aiden was more then happy to head on over to a cafe and take a nice break. He even let his Pokemon out and fed them some Pokepuffs. "You have nice Pokemon there." Viola said as she watched him.

"Thanks. I've only had Froakie for a day or two. But I've had Torchic for a few months already." Aiden said as he petted the warm bird.

Viola suddenly lifted her camera. "May I?" she asked, "See this would make a great snapshot."

"Sure." Aiden said before he backed away and Allowed Viola to take a few snapshots of his Pokemon. Even getting one or two close-ups as well.

"Marvelous!" she said once she was finished, "This is certainly going in my album."

"So what are you going to do with those pictures once you're done developing them?"

"I donate them to Nature magazines or scientists." Viola replied before finishing her coffee. The woman then got out of her seat and smiled at Aiden. "You've been a great help today. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be able to see you sometime again. See ya!" with that, she left.

"What a peppy woman." Aiden said as he finished his coffee.

"Chic!" Torchic chirped.

**X.X**


	5. Chapter 5

**XXPay4XtraShippingsXX: Thank you! As long as people read my fic it's cool if they don't review ;)**

**X.X**

A long yawn escaped Aiden as he sat up in his bed and outstretched his arms as far as he could until he heard a few cracks and pops. He looked out the window of his room in the Pokemon Center and already spotted a few people walking around outside.

"Looks like I can finally challenge the Gym now." he said to himself, "I better get ready, then."

The boy tossed the blanket to the side and jumped out of bed. He reached over to a nearby chair and grabbed his clothing before entering the bathroom to change out of his tank top and shorts. After combing his jet black hair a bit and the adjusting his hat he smiled approvingly at his reflection before exiting. He then grabbed his bag and went downstairs to have a quick breakfast.

"Eat up guys." he said as he watched his Pokemon eat beside him, "We're going to need all the strength we have for today. Who knows what kind of Gym Leader we might be facing. From what I heard they use Bug Type Pokemon." he then looked over to his Torchic and smiled. "Looks like it's just you and me today!"

"Chic, chic!" Torchic chirped happily.

Meanwhile in a nearby bush, a pair of curious electric blue eyes watched the trio. Zorua had taken a major risk leaving the sanctuary of the forest and stepping into the world of Humans. He had always been told to stay away from them. Saying that they'll capture him in these sphere like capsules and enslave him. But from what he's seen, they don't appear to be so bad. At least, not this one. His Pokemon appear to be very happy to say the least.

"You full, Froakie?" Aiden asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

"Froakie! Froakie!" Froakie replied happily.

"Torchic! Torchic!"

"You too, Torchic?" Aiden chuckled.

"Chic!"

"Alright. Let me finish my coffee and we'll be on our way." Aiden said.

Zorua watched the young man finish his coffee before returning his Pokemon to those capsule devices and then walking back into the building with the red roof. He then came out through the main entrance a few seconds later and walked down the road leading up to a bigger building.

"Zor?" Zorua twitched his ear curiously before hopping after him.

...

Aiden's eyes wandered curiously around the Gym. It looked much bigger on the outside. But on the inside it was just covered in endless plant life. Save for the small battle court in the center. The roof was made entirely out of glass, so it gave off a humid feeling as well. Aiden actually had to unzip his jacket all the way down because of how hot it was. "Mew of Arceus." he breathed, sweat rolling down his face.

"Can I help you?" a familiar voice asked.

Aiden turned around and saw Viola standing behind him. The woman's eyes sudden flashed in recognition and she perked up a bit. "Oh! You're the kid who helped me yesterday. Please forgive me. I didn't recognize you from behind." she chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh. No worries." Aiden assured her, "I'm just looking for the Gym Leader."

"Are you here for a match?" Viola asked as she crossed her arms.

"Yep."

"Well you're in luck then!" Viola grinned enthusiastically, "You're just happening to be looking at the Santalune Gym Leader."

"What!?" Aiden exclaimed, "You're the Gym Leader?"

"Yep! I would like to apologize about yesterday, though. I choose that day to take the time to relax and enjoy what I love the most. But now that I'm back in work, let's have a battle!"

Aiden nodded firmly. "Yeah! I didn't travel all the way to Kalos for nothing."

Viola and Aiden got to the center of the room and stood across from each other. Both had determined expressions on their faces as they stood in their battle poses. "You know what this reminds me of? This reminds of the time I battled a certain young woman that was about your age." Viola said, "Well, enough of that. Let's get this party started! Vivillon, I choose you!" Viola cried as she tossed her Poke Ball out. The beautifully patterned Pokemon let out a shrill once she was out of her Pokeball.

"Torchic! Come on out!" Aiden threw the Pokeball into the air and watched it release his Torchic. "Torchic, use Ember!"

Torchic fired mini-shots of fire directly at the butterfly. Vivillon was only struck three times when she attempted to dodge.

"Vivillon, tackle!"

Vivillon managed to send Torchic flying across the room and caused him to hit a nearby rock. Torchic immediately jumped back on his feet. "Torchic! Tackle Vivillon back!" Aiden yelled.

Zorua watched the battle while hiding in one of the bushes that was found in the Gym. He blinked curiously at what was going on. He's seen some nasty battles in the forest that sometimes got out of hand and ended in bloodshed. But this was different.

Vivillon was hit, but didn't get hit very effectively. "Vivillon, use Infestation!" Viola howled. Vivillon's seemingly innocent eyes suddenly flashed as she summoned a swarm of miniature bugs upon Torchic. Torchic started screeching in panic as his body was suddenly covered in small insects.

"Torching! Try to shake'm off and use Peck!"

Torchic did just that. The bird managed to warm his body heat up before shaking them off. By warming his body heat up to a level that the insects couldn't handle, they wanted to jump of anyway. Torchic's beak then glowed as he lunged up and struck Vivillon dead center. Vivillon stumbled back in mid-air before getting struck by Torchic's ember.

"Impressive!" Viola said with an impressed look on her face, "You're just as strong as that Trainer I battled two years back! Vivillon, use Quick Attack!" Vivillon let out a shrill as she dove towards Torchic.

"Torchic! See if you can try to hit her with Peck!"

Torchic's beak glowed once more and he jumped up. In the blink of an eye, the two Pokemon collided with one another before falling to the ground. Both Aiden and Viola watched anxiously for one of them to stand up. Both look extremely exhausted. Torchic suddenly stirred as he weakly got back on his feet and stood victorious.

"Did we...win?" Aiden asked.

Viola brought out her Pokeball and returned Vivillon to it before looking up at Aiden and nodding with a smile.

"YEEEEEEEEES!" the boy whooped as he fist-pumped before embracing his Torchic and hugging him tightly. "WE DID IT, TORCHIC! WE DID IT! WE DAMN DID IT!"

"Torchic, torchic!" Torchic cried happily as he nuzzled his Trainer.

"Love... Determination... Those are the exact same things I saw in the eyes of the girl battled two years earlier. Now I see them in you." Viola held out Calem's hand and placed a ladybug shaped badge on it. "Here. You've earned it."

Aiden looked up at Viola just as Torchic hopped on his shoulder and smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I'm glad to have met you."

Viola winked at him. "Same here. By the way, about those pictures you took yesterday; not bad! Not bad at all. You should be my assistant more often." she laughed.

Aiden laughed as well. "Yeah, well, maybe after I defeat the Kalos League I might come back some time."

"I do look forward to it when you do." Viola gave him a thumbs up.

"By the way, do you know where the next gym is?"

"Next Gym? Bring out your map."

Aiden rummaged through his bag before bringing out the device that activated his holo-map. "I would recommend going to Cyllage City next. The Gym Leader there specializes in Rock types. So I say you use Froakie for that one."

"Sure." Aiden said.

_Outside_

"Well, Aiden, this looks like goodbye for now. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey." Viola said.

"Thanks." Aiden replied, "It was great battling with you. It truly was a good experience."

After saying their last goodbyes Aiden turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped when he heard a Pokemon cry, "Zorua!"

"Huh?"

Aiden and Viola looked over to see the Zorua standing only a foot away from Aiden. Looking up at him with glittering blue eyes. "A Zorua? Could this be the same Zorua from before?" he asked Viola.

"Probably." Viola replied.

"Zorua! Zorua!" the Zorua yipped at Aiden's bag repeatedly. Wagging his tail and even jumping a bit.

"What dose he want?" Aiden asked, clueless.

"Maybe he wishes to go with on your journey?" Viola suggested as she placed on of her hands on her hip.

Aiden frowned. "But we haven't-really-gotten to know each other! We only met yesterday." he said as he crossed his arms.

"Sometimes it isn't the Trainer who chooses the Pokemon. Sometimes it's the Pokemon who chooses the Trainer." Viola said with a wink.

Aiden took that into mind and looked down at the Zorua, who was smiling up at him while wagging his bushy tail lazily. Aiden took out the Pokeball that contained his Froakie before before pressing the button in the middle and releasing him. "I heard you have to battle a Pokemon before catching them." he said before smiling down at the Zorua, "So let's battle."

"Zorua!" the Zorua cried happily before he jumped back and stood in a battle stance. Head lowered and ears pointed high.

"Looks like he accepts your challenge." Viola said.

"I guess so. Froakie, use Pound!" Aiden yelled.

Froakie charged Zorua before striking him. Zorua skidded back a bit. The Pokemon charged back at Froakie before biting into his arm. Froakie let out a cry of alarm as he attempted to shake the other Pokemon off.

"FrFroakie Use Bubble!"

Zorua was suddenly hit by a round of bubbles and he released his sharp grip on Froakie. The Pokemon shook the bits of water off him just before he was hit by a surprise attack by Froakie.

"Go, Pokeball!" Aiden roared as he threw a Pokeball at him. The capsule hit Zorua and opened, absorbing him in a red light before snapping shut and falling to the ground. Aiden, Froakie, and Viola watched the ball rock side-to-side as the center glowed red.

_Ding!_

"YES!" Aiden whooped as he ran over and snatched the Pokeball from the ground before holding it up high in the air. "I CAUGHT ZORUA!" he boomed proudly.

**X.X**

***Petting Harbinger (My Yveltal)* **

**Yeah, sorry for the long wait. School is a MAJOR pain! Right Harbinger? **

**Harbinger: *Nods***

**Daaaaaaaaaaaaw, who's a good killer? You are! You are!**

**Harbinger: Really, N-kins?**


	6. Chapter 6

**X.X**

I see! So you've caught a Zorua." Green said as he examined the dark Pokemon sitting on floor with Torchic and Froakie. "Interesting little guy. I must admit, I find Zorua and Zoroark truly fascinating Pokemon. Their Illusion ability is truly an intriguing one. So, where are you off to now?"

"We're off to Cyllage City next." Aiden replied after placing his tea cup on its saucer.

"Cyllage City? Very nice place." Green said, "Have you ever heard of Glittering Cave by the way?"

"Excuse me?" Aiden asked.

"Glittering Cave is a cave near Ambrette Town; which isn't far from Cyllage City." Green then brought out a brochure from his lab coat pocket and handed it over to Aiden. Aiden looked at the cover as Green spoke.

_**Come to Glittering Cave! **_

_**Located east of Ambrette Town and accessible by Ryhorn**_

_**Open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.**_

_**Please look in the back for more details**_

"Glittering Cave is amazing, I will admit. You can find all sorts of fossils there."

"Fossils?" Aiden looked up from the brochure. His gray eyes glittering softly. Fossils have always been of interest to him. Ever since that field trip his class took to this one area in Hoenn. It's been so long since he's last been there and he can't remember the name of the location. But he did remember finding a lot of fossils that made the other kids jealous. "Sure. I'll stop by the place when I arrive. Sounds interesting enough."

_Ding!_

"Who could that be?" Green asked.

The doors opened to reveal Sins and a young man about the same height as her with short blond hair and dark blue eyes with pale skin.

"Ah! Sina and Dexio." Green got up from his seat on the couch and walked over to them. "What's the news for today?" Both Trainers looked at one another with slightly concerned looks before turning back to Green. Dexio then noticed Aiden out of the corner of his eye and looked up seriously at Green.

"Sir, this is a matter that is best spoken in private." he whispered.

Green looked over his shoulder and looked at Aiden briefly before looking back at Dexio with an arched brow. "What's wrong with him being here?" he asked. Before Dexio could reply, Aiden stood from his seat.

"It's alright, Professor." he said as he picked up his bag, "I'll just go. I'll give you a call when I arrive at Ambrette Town. Thanks for the tea." Aiden gave the Professor a smile once he and his Pokemon entered the elevator.

"Alright then. Sorry this had to end so soon."

"Nah. It's fine." Aiden assured him before closing the elevator doors. His Pokemon clutch onto him fearfully once they felt the elevator go down. Not use to being out of their Pokeballs this long. They reached the bottom and entered the lobby. Aiden and his Pokemon casually made their way over to the door before exiting. Once outside, they suddenly heard a voice call out to them.

"Hey! Wait!"

Aiden and his Pokemon turned to see Sina running up to them. "Sina. What's up?" he asked.

The young adult gave Aiden an apologetic smile. "I would like to apologize for having you leave so soon. I felt a little guilty about the thing." she said.

Aiden smiled back. "It's cool. If it's important then I understand." he said.

"Thank you. But I still feel bad about the whole thing. Here, why don't I take you out for some coffee? Lumiose City is well known for its amazing cafes." Sina offered.

"That would be great. But aren't you needed upstairs?" Aiden asked.

"No, no. Dexio can handle it. I was excused anyway so I won't be missed." Sina replied.

"Alright then." Aiden said, "Lead the way."

...

Sina wasn't kidding when she said Lumiose City had the best cafes. _Cafe Soleil_ was certainly one of them. Aiden and Sina found a table outside of the cafe and were currently having their coffee while Aiden's Pokemon was given some of the Cafe's special Pokemon treats.

"So what do you and Dexio do anyway?" Aiden asked.

Sina placed her coffee cup back on the table and folded her hands on her lap. "Dexio and I are practically Professor Green's assistants. We were originally Professor Sycamore's students. But when he left Kalos we decided to help Green out in the lab."

"Who is Professor Sycamore anyway? I've heard Calem mention him a few times during our video chats." Aiden asked.

"Professor Sycamore _was _the Pokemon Professor for Kalos. He was the one who gave beginning Trainers their starter Pokemon and Pokedex. He was also the one who discovered Mega Evolution. In this era, that is." Sina chuckled softly.

"Mega Evolution?" Aiden asked.

"Hasn't Calem ever mentioned it to you?"

Aiden shook his head. "No. Well, he did mention finding this gem with a girl he knew. But that's pretty much it."

"Well I might as well tell you what I know then." Sina said, "Mega Evolution is a form of Pokemon Evolution that is still being studied. According to Sycamore's research, Mega Evolution is triggered by the bond between Trainer and Pokemon. The stronger the bond the more powerful the Pokemon is. That was proven by one of Sycamore's two years ago. I recon you don't know who she is?"

Aiden tapped his chin a bit in thought. _What was her name again? _he thought. "Natasha... Natalia... Nathalie... Natalie!" he gasped, "Is her name Natalie?"

Sina smiled. "I'm impressed. So you have heard of her."

"A little bit." Aiden said, "I've seen her on the news when her dad died in that racing accident. But that's all I pretty much know about her." the Trainer then leaned forward slightly, placing both arms on the table. "Who is she, exactly?" he asked.

"From what I know," Sina said before taking a sip of her coffee, "Natalie was originally a girl from Kanto. She was about your age. Dark hair. Brown eyes. Fair skin. Nice looking girl. Great with Pokemon to be exact. From what I've been told, she was probably the nicest person in all of Kalos! Willing to help anyone in need without question."

"Sounds like she was a pretty good person." Aiden took a sip of his coffee as well, "Where is she now?"

Sina shrugged. "Beats me. Last I heard she gave up her Pokedex and didn't participate in the Kalos League. Even if she did have all eight badges."

"Why did she do that?" Aiden then asked.

Sina shrugged again. "No one knows really. But that's all I know I about her." Sina suddenly felt a vibration against her upper thigh and she reached into her pocket and pulled out her Holo Caster. "It's Dexio." she sighed before standing up from her seat, "I gotta get going."

"Oh. Well thanks for the coffee." Aiden said.

"Not a problem." Sina replied, "Good luck with you journey."

"Thanks." Aiden said with a smile before watching the woman walk away. "We better get going too." Aiden said as he stood from his seat as well. After returning his Pokemon to their Pokeballs he placed the strap of his bag over his shoulder once more before making his way out into the crowded streets of Lumiose. As he walked he allowed his mind to wander away. He couldn't help but wonder what was so important Dexio had to say to Green? It did sound a little urgent...

_CRASH!_

"Oof!" Aiden fell on his butt on the sidewalk. His hat in one side of him as he propped himself up on both hands. Across from him a woman did the same thing. She got back on her feet and dusted her red skinny jeans off. She wore a red Shirt and Tie with black zip-up boots. On her face were a pair of crimson shades that hid her eyes. Making it almost impossible to see them. Her hair was jet black and was in a Bob style with no bangs. Her skin was fair but also a tad bit pale. She appeared to be 18 years of age. To his dismay, she turned to leave.

"Hey!" he called sharply, "What gives!?"

The woman stopped and turned. Her red shades flashing under the sunlight as she turned her whole body to face him.

"Aren't you going to help me up?" he asked.

The woman merely arched her brow. "This world doesn't revolve around you, kid." she hissed, "You can't always expect someone will come to your aid." with that, she disappeared amongst the crowd of people. Aiden helped himself up and glared in the direction the woman walked off to. Crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"What's her problem?" he asked to himself.

...

The sky was tainted a blazing orange as the sun slipped down in the horizon. Another day was coming to an end for Aiden. He was walking down Route 6 and was clearly far from any Pokemon Center he could stay the night in. Not that he minded sleeping outside. Aiden stopped and leaned against a tree to take a short break.

"Arceus damn." he panted to himself softly as he rested his head against the tree. Not caring if he got chips of wood in his hair. "I didn't think I would get worn out so easily." Aiden reached into his bag and took out a bottle of water he bought before leaving Lumiose. He twisted the cap and took a large gulp from it. He heard footsteps and looked up to see an elderly man and a white dog-like Pokemon walking down the path. Both of them stopped in front of him.

"Is everything alright, young man?" the elderly man asked.

"Yeah. I'm just catching a quick break." Aiden replied.

"Woof! Woof" the Pokemon barked.

"Hey. I've never seen a Pokemon like you before." Aiden said before he reached into his bag took out his Pokedex.

**'Furfrou: the Poodle Pokemon. Trimming its fluffy fur not only makes it more elegant but also increases the swiftness of its movements.'**

"That's pretty cool." Aiden said after listening to the entry. "You have a pretty interesting Pokemon there, Mister."

The man held his head high proudly. "Thank you, young man. Furfrou here is my pride and joy. If anything were to happen to him I don't know what I would do. Oh! The misery I would go through. Anyway, what brings you all the way out here on Route 6 at this hour?"

"I'm on my way to Ambrette Town. But according to the map it says that there's another town up ahead called Camphrier Town."

"Ah, yes. It's just down the road." the old man said as he pointed his cane in the direction. "You're not from these parts I assume?"

"Yeah." Aiden said as he stood up. "I'm Aiden Xavier. I come from Hoenn to participate in the Kalos League and hopefully challenge my cousin in the Pokemon League."

"Oh! You're Calem Xavier's cousin? What an honor to meet a relative of the Kalos Champion."

"Thanks."

"Well, I best be going. I have a very important meeting I must attend to in my palace. But please, visit Parfum Palace when you have the time. It's not much, but it's certainly worth the visit. Especially my prize garden! Oh! The beauty of it all." the elderly man then turned and left with his Pokemon beside him. Aiden watched the pair leave with an arched brow.

_Parfum Palace? Sounds like an interesting place. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt if I checked the place out tomorrow, _Aiden thought. Adjusting his bag a bit, Aiden continued his walk down Route 6.

**X.X**

**YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Christmas Break! **

**Harbinger: Yay?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeaaaaah... Sorry about that later chapter. I've gotten slight writer's block for this fic. So I re-posted the prequel, The beauty in her eyes, and worked on that for a bit. Now I've FINALLY came up with something for this chapter.**

**X.X**

Furfrou was curled up near one of the hedges outside of Parfum Palace. Once having been neglected and abandoned by the original owner, it's been restored to it's natural state and is now a popular attraction for wealthy tourists. The current owner's prized garden, which is outback, is truly a sight to see. The palace stood under the blue sky of the early Autumn morning. Furfrou's right ear suddenly perked up and he rose his head. "Woof! Woof!" the dog barked happily as he ran over and circled Aiden excitedly.

"Nice to see you again too, boy." Aiden chuckled as gently patted the dog on the head. Scratching behind his ear. "Where's your Trainer? Is he inside?"

"Woof! Woof!"

"Yeah." Aiden smiled, "I wouldn't blame him."

Aiden followed the Pokemon towards the gate entrance of the Palace, where a man stood guard. "Um... Excuse me?" he asked, "Is this Parfum Palace?"

"Yes, young man, it is." the guard replied, "Are you here for a visit?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well you're going to pay a 1,000 poke fee if you wish to enter."

Aiden suddenly jumped back in surprise. "1,000 poke!? You've to be joking!" he exclaimed.

"Nope. Those are the rules, kid." the guard replied monotonously.

Aiden looked down at Furfrou, who looked up at him, before looking back at the guard in unison. Sighing in defeat, Aiden reached into his pocket. "Fine. Here." he said as he handed him the money.

"Thank you, young man." the guard replied, "Please enjoy your visit. And be sure not to break anything."

"I won't." Aiden replied before following Furfrou in. _1,000 poke just to get in? Why such a big entrance fee? Mew of Arceus, _Aiden thought. Furfrou sat in front of a pair of large old double wooden doors patiently as he waited for Aiden to come. Aiden pushed one of the doors and it opened with a low groan. "Hello?" he called as he poked his head in, opening the door wider. Furfrou ran by him and sat by a large, elegant staircase. Aiden closed the door behind him before taking in his new surroundings.

All around him were old artifacts and furniture that had been well preserved or restored to it's original state. Walls were painted a cream color with a light yelled tinge. A fancy looking carpet ran down the stairs and towards the door. The carpet he was currently standing on. On the walls hung old paintings landscapes, people, and-or-Pokemon. Above him was a large chandler suspended by a thick golden chain. He couldn't help but swallow nervously. Feeling an urge to step to the side.

"Woof! Woof!" Furfrou barked.

"What is it Furfrou?" Aiden asked.

"Woof! Woof!" the dog stood up and pointed his snout down the direction of a corridor. Aiden walked up and stood beside the dog.

"Is there something you want me to see?"

"Woof! Woof!"

Furfrou suddenly trotted down the corridor before stopping. He looked over his shoulder and barked for Aiden to come. Aiden blinked before walking into the corridor and follow Furfrou. As the dog led him through him through he took the time to observe all the decor of the place. Lovely patterns were literally carved into the walls themselves. Patterns like vines stretching or curling out with leaves. Furfrou suddenly stopped in front of a door and sat in front of it.

Aiden stopped in front of the door. It was then that he managed to pick up faint voices coming from behind the hard oak door. He looked down at Furfrou, who started to wag his tail excitedly. Blinking, Aiden bent down and peeked through the keyhole under the doorkncouldn't

"I don't want to do this..." the voice sounded like the man he met yesterday. Furfrou's Trainer.

"Humph! Like someone like you would want to give up this palace to us." a much younger voice snapped. Judging by what Aiden could see, he appeared to be wearing a red blazer. But that's all he could see.

"This palace is important to me. I've worked really hard the put it back to together. I'm not willing to just give it up! Especially to the likes of someone like _you_." the owner snapped back.

Aiden pulled away and stood straight. He looked back down at Furfrou with an upset glare. "Furfrou!" he whispered, "This is eavesdropping! I'm not going to listen in on someone else's business! That's rude!" he whispered angrily. Furfrou whimpered and looked at the keyhole. Aiden blinked and looked through the keyhole again.

"This meeting is DONE! You hear? DONE! Now get out of my office before I call the police!"

Aiden yanked away sharply. Judging by the tone in his voice, he wasn't in a good mood. "Carp!" he whispered, "I gotta get outta here! I don't want him to find me standing out here!" Furfrou nudged his hand before running down the direction they originally came from. Aiden quickly followed the dog down the hall. Before he knew it, they were back in the lobby. Aiden had been running so fast that he accidentally bumped into someone. Both of them fell to the floor.

"Damn it! Not again!" Aiden cursed as he propped himself up on both wrists. Furfrou walked over to his side and licked his face.

"LARVITAR! LARVITAR!"

"Waaah!" Aiden scooted back in surprise when he saw a rather angry looking Larvitar snapping at him. Furfrou immediately stood in front of Aiden and growled at the Larvitar.

"Hey! You tell your Furfrou to leave my Larvitar alone!" a voice snapped.

Aiden looked up to see that the peach colored boy he had accidentally bumped into was already on his feet. He appeared to be around his age; sixteen like Vivienne. His hair was a sandy blond color and was in a very short hairstyle. His eyes were an unforgiving amber color and currently held a look of annoyance. He was dressed in a aqua colored hoddie with black cargo short pants and yellow sneakers. Around him was a white strap, meaning he had a backpack on.

"He's...not my Furfrou." Aiden grunted as he stood up.

"Then why were you running down the hall with him like a idiot?" the boy crossed his arms.

Aiden's gray eyes flashed. "Hey! You don't have to be so rude! It was an accident and I'm sorry for bumping into you!" he snapped.

"Whatever." the boy replied as Larvitar climbed up his shoulder, "What's your name by the way?"

"Aiden." Aiden replied.

"Aiden, huh? Well watch where you're running, Aiden!" the boy snapped.

"Hey! Listen, you!"

"I've got a name, you know. I'm Eli."

"Well _maybe _if you've introduced yourself sooner then I would've known by now!" Aiden growled.

"I wasn't the one who got bumped by an idiot!" Eli growled back.

"What is Arceus's name is going on out here!?" the owner suddenly entered the lobby.

Aiden opened his mouth to answer, but was immediately cut-off by Eli. "I'll tell what's the problem." he said while pointing a finger at Aiden, "This moron here bumped into me!"

"It was an accident, sir, I swear!" Aiden protested, "I even apologized!"

"Is this true?" the man asked his Pokemon.

"Woof! Woof!" Furfrou bobbed his head.

"WHAT!?" Eli screamed in dismay. "You let a Pokemon decide for you? You rather believe a Pokemon then a human? Unbelievable!"

"Young man." the owner spoke sternly as he approached him, "I do not tolerate this kind of attitude in my palace. I suggest that you leave and return only when you learn to show some respect towards your elders!"

"Hmp!" Eli crossed his arms, "Fine! I didn't want to be in this damn place anyway! Let's go Larvitar!"

"Tar!"

The Trainer angrily stomped his way over to the door. Just as he grabbed the doorknob, he spun around and glared daggers at Aiden. "You! Before I leave here, I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!"

Aiden glared back at Eli and nodded. "You're on, then!" he shouted, "Three against three!"

"If you're both going to battle, please take it outside the Palace entrance. I don't want anything to be damaged." the owner said.

...

Aiden and Eli stood across from each other. Both with clenched hands and burning looks in their eyes. They ignored the small group of people that were beginning to surround them to watch the on coming battle. Eli was the one who went first.

"Gligar, come on out!" he roared as he tossed the Pokeball out.

"Gligar!" the purple Pokemon hissed.

"Zorua! Let's go!" Aiden yelled as he threw the Pokeball out.

"Zorua!" Zorua yipped.

"Gligar, use Quick Attack!"

Gligar glided at lightning speed before ramming into Zorua. Zorua flew back before landing on all four paws after regaining his composer.

"Use Fury Swipes!"

Gligar screeched in alarm and pain as the smaller Pokemon lashed out at him repeatedly. "Use Poison Sting!" Gligar suddenly shot out a needle directly at Zorua. Zorua let out a howl once he was struck and felt himself weaken.

_Shoot, he's poisoned! _Aiden thought with gritted teeth. He felt his palms begin to sweat as he tried to come up with a battle strategy. This was, after all, his first time using Zorua in battle. Perhaps he should've sent out Froakie instead. As if reading his mind, Zorua suddenly stood tall and firm. His blues started to glow before he suddenly jumped into the air as a pink veil of light surrounded him.

"What's that?" one of the onlookers asked.

"That's Zorua's special ability: Illusion." a man replied without taking his eyes off the scene, "It allows the Pokemon to change themselves into a human or Pokemon. Sometimes the environment around them." The environment around suddenly changed. Making it appear as though they were in a beach instead. Gligar suddenly recoiled back in alarm. Zorua landed with a smirk on his face.

"Of course! Gligar is a ground type as well!" Aiden said as he snapped his fingers.

Eli growled. "Gligar! Snap the hell out of it and use Fury Cutter!" Gligar looked a bit hesitant, but reluctantly preformed the move.

"Zorua! Dodge and use Pursuit!" Zorua swiftly jumped out of the way before knocking Gligar to the ground. Tricking Gligar into thinking he was in a beach is what helped defeat him since the Pokemon has a fear of large bodies of water.

"DAMN IT!" Eli cursed as he returned his Pokemon. "Phantump, you're next!" The capsule opened to reveal a hover misty looking Pokemon with a solid tree stump covering her head.

"Good job, Zorua. Return." Aiden said before returning his Pokemon to his Pokeball. Just as he did so the illusion then vanished, surprising a few people. "I've never seen that Pokemon before." Aiden said as he brought out his Pokedex.

**'Phantump: the stump Pokemon. These Pokemon are created when spirits possess rotten tree stumps. They prefer to live in abandoned forests.'**

"So it's a spirit, then." Aiden muttered to himself.

"Just send out your second Pokemon already!" Eli snapped. Phantump flinched slightly before looking over her shoulder. Giving her Trainer a worried look.

Aiden frowned at the other Trainer's lack of patients before throwing out the Pokeball that contained Torchic. Torchic ruffled his feathers a bit before standing in a battle stance.

"Phantump, use Tackle!" The ghost Pokemon charged at Torchic before using her solid head and rammed against Torchic.

"Torchic! Are you alright?" Aiden asked worriedly. Torchic immediately shot up and nodded at his partner. Aiden breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention back to the battle. "Quick! Use peck!" Phantump let out an eerie wail as her head was getting hit repeatedly.

"Phantump, use Confuse Ray!"

Phantump's eyes then glowed as a ball of light materialized in her hands. Using all her mental strength, she tossed it at Torchic. Torchic was struck by the ball and soon saw miniature versions of himself circling his head.

"Now finish him with Astonish!"

"Torchic! Try to dodge and counterattack with Ember!"

Torchic managed to jump out of the way before striking Phantump from behind. The Pokemon let out an even louder wail before fainting. Eli cursed as he returned his Pokemon to her Pokeball.

"YES!" Aiden whooped, "Good job Torchic!" Torchic chirped happily before being returned to his Pokeball.

"All right, Larvitar, don't fail me!" Eli said before throwing out the Pokeball.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar stood tall and fierce.

"Froakie! Let's go!" Aiden threw the Pokeball and the blue frog appeared.

"Larvitar, use Bite!" Eli roared.

"Froakie, use Water Pulse!" Aiden roared as well.

Larvitar's eyes then widened when a large pulse of water was suddenly shot at him, instantly defeating him with one hit. Eli angrily stomped his foot on the ground and screamed every curse word he could think of. Actually surprising a few people and Aiden. Eli returned his partner to his Pokeball before walking up to Aiden until they were inches from each other.

"You win. Congratulations. Go get yourself a gold star or something." Eli said before shoving by him and leaving the courtyard.

Aiden and Froakie looked at one another. "What's his problem?" Aiden asked. Froakie shrugged.

"Marvelous!"

Aiden and Froakie looked over to see the owner and Furfrou walk over to them. "That was truly a battle to behold! You showed that Trainer who's boss! Perhaps you are like your cousin."

Aiden smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wouldn't say that. It's my Pokemon who deserve most of the credit after all."

"Froakie! Froakie!" Froakie happily hopped on his Trainer's shoulder.

"This cause for a celebration! Please, why not stay to watch some fireworks."

"That would be great." Aiden replied with a smile.

**X.X**

**Meet the new guy, Eli. He may look like a jerk, but he'll change once we get farther into the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks again for the fireworks show," Aiden said as he adjusted the strap of bag, "It really was amazing."

"Not a problem." the owner replied, "I assume you'll be heading over to Ambrette Town now?"

"Yeah." Aiden replied. "This Glittering Cave place sounds really interesting. And since I'm new to Kalos I'm actually really excited about it. Everywhere I go is like a new adventure. Plus I want to compete against my cousin in the Kalos League."

"Mm hm! I wish you the best of luck, then." the owner said.

"Thanks. Your palace is really beautiful. Thank you for suggesting me to come." Aiden gave him a small bow. He then knelt down on one knee and patted Furfrou on his head. "Thanks for showing me the place, too." he said. The Pokemon lowered his head and whimpered sadly. "I know, I know, I'll miss you too. But you need to watch over your Trainer and the palace. But I'll be sure to come back for another visit some time."

"Woof! Woof!" Furfrou barked happily before licking his face. Aiden laughed before standing up.

"Well, I better get going. Bye." Aiden said as he turned to leave.

The owner smiled and nodded. "Farewell." he said as he and Furfrou watched him leave. "He's a good man." he said to his Furfrou as they watched him leave. "Reminds me of that one girl and her friend two years back. I can see why you've taken a liking to him."

"Woof! Woof!"

...

It was the late evening hours when Aiden finally reached the tunnel entrance leading to Ambrette Town. The tunnel itself had been built on the side of the mountain. Or that's what the map said. Taking a deep breath, he entered the dark tunnel. "Damn it's dark in here." he whispered to himself as he walked down the straight path. A soft sigh left him. It was during times like this that he wished he had a Pokemon that knew flash.

_Wait a minute! _Aiden slapped his forehead. How could he have been so stupid? He packed a flashlight! He quickly unzipped his bag and took out a black flashlight. He faced it towards himself and switched it on. His pupils widened at the brightness of the light. "Okay, that's bright." he said. After letting his vision adjust, he continued down the tunnel. The place was silent. The only sound that was present were his footsteps hitting against the rocky floor. The place was a little too quiet.

"Where's all the Pokemon?" he asked himself. Normally he would've ran into a horde of Zubats or two. At least _some _kind of Pokemon! Aiden suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard something behind him. Like small rocks shaking. He gripped his flashlight tightly as his breathing started to become shakey. He's seen horror movies. Even though this is not a movie, it is possible for a scenario like this to occur. Hopefully it wouldn't be a deranged psycho with a bloody machete or something. The boy spun around sharply. A startled expression immediately dominated his face.

Standing in front of him was none other than Vivienne, who was equally as startled. In her arms was Mica, who appeared to be asleep. "Aiden!" she gasped.

"Vivienne." Aiden breathed, "It's only you."

The other Trainer smiled. "I'm sorry. Was just exploring the tunnel when I saw you. I wasn't sure if it was you so I decided to check. I'm sorry if I startled you."

"It's cool." Aiden assured her with a smile as well, "I was just on my way to Ambrette Town."

"Oh! So are we." Vivienne referred to Mica and herself, "But I got a little adventurous and decided to explore the tunnel a bit. Mica fell asleep halfway."

"Find anything interesting?"

"Mm mm." Vivienne shook her head, "Nothing so far. I ran into a few Pokemon but that's it. You know what's funny? I have a feeling that there should be more Pokemon here."

"I haven't see any yet." Aiden said, "But I have the same feeling."

Mica's right ear twitched as she stirred from her sleep. Blinking her eyes a bit before raising her head. "Mica!" Vivienne said, "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Eevee!" Mica suddenly jumped from her arms and ran a short distance ahead of them.

"Mica!" Vivienne cried in alarm before running after her. Aiden followed as well.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked as they ran after the glittering Pokemon.

"I don't know." Vivienne replied worriedly, "She's never acted like this before."

Mica then stopped in front of a freshly made path near the exit. "Ve! Ve!" she cried. Aiden and Vivienne stopped; Vivienne scooped Mica back in her arms. "What's wrong with you!?" she asked worriedly as she hugged her tightly, "Don't run off like that!"

"Ve..." Mica lowered her head sadly, obviously saying that she didn't mean to hurt her. The shiny Pokemon licked her face apologetically. Vivienne smiled and hugged her partner tightly.

"I forgive you." she said.

"Vivienne." Aiden called as he started at the freshly dug tunnel. Using his flashlight to shine down the endless dark passage, "Come look at this."

Vivienne walked over and shined her flashlight as well. "My Arceus." she said. "This tunnel is brand new. Not even a day old!"

Aiden then lowered his flashlight to the ground. The floor was littered with tracks of people and one large Pokemon. But because they were all over the place he wasn't able to identify what Pokemon it was; nor how many people were present.

"Who could've done this?" Vivienne asked as she looked over to Aiden. Aiden shrugged in reply.

"I honestly don't know." he admitted. A nervous feeling squirmed in his chest. "Let's get out of here. I have a feeling that I don't want to meet the ones responsible for this..."

"I agree." Vivienne nodded slowly.

The quickly left the tunnel. The sky was already dark and covered in a sea of stars. The ocean was rather calm and soothing to hear. Only a very few lights were present in the small city below them. To their left was the path leading to Ambrette Town. The two put their flashlights away and walked to Ambrette Town together. None of them talking about what they saw.

"So how are you?" Aiden asked. Wanting to break the silence.

Vivienne smiled softly. "Good. Miyu has stopped wandering from the group, thank Arceus." Aiden chuckled softly. "Anyway, I also caught myself a new friend." she added.

"Really?" Aiden arched his brow, "What Pokemon?"

"A female Raltz I nicknamed Kyu." Vivienne replied.

"Cool. I captured a male Zorua." Aiden said.

"A Zorua? That's cool." Vivienne smiled, "I honestly think they're cute. Where'd you find him?"

"Actually..." Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, "He found me. I was helping the Gym Leader Viola take some pictures when I spotted the little guy rummaging through my bag." he laughed softly, "I guess he must've saw something in me that made him want to be captured."

"Pokemon are strange that way." Vivienne said, "When I first had Mica, I didn't choose her to be my partner. She chose me. I've been with her since she was born in our farm. After she saw how well I cared for the other Pokemon, she must've thought I had the material to be a great Pokemon Trainer. You can say that we're best friends now."

"I never knew you even lived on a farm." Aiden said.

"Back in Johto, my family owns a small farm that sells Milktank milk. Or Moomoo Milk as it's normally called."

"I love Moomoo Milk!" Aiden said, "Perhaps I should thank you and the Milktanks for that."

Vivienne laughed. "You don't have to. But thanks."

"Vee!"

Aiden and Vivienne stopped. "What's wrong Mica?" she asked, looking down at the Eevee.

"Vee! Vee!" Mica pointed her paw at the form lying a few feet ahead of them. Both Aiden and Vivienne looked up before gasping. Lying on the ground, only a few feet in front of them, was a Helioptile. Both Trainers gasped. "I've never seen a Pokemon like that before." Vivienne said.

"Me neither." Aiden added before he swiftly brought out his Pokedex.

**'Helioptile: the Generator Pokemon. They make their home in deserts. They can generate their energy from basking in the sun, so eating food is not a requirement.'**

"What's this little guy doing all the way out here?" Adien asked.

The Helioptile suddenly opened his eyes and he shot up from the ground before growling aggressively at them. His blue eyes flashing dangerously at them as sparks of electricity suddenly appeared. Aiden and Vivienne immediately took a few steps back. But then, the Helioptile suddenly collapsed. The lizard did look badly beaten up.

"Oh, no!" Vivienne gasped.

Both Trainers immediately ran over to the Pokemon's side. "This little guy looks like he got a bad beating." Aiden said as he examined his body. With caution, he gently took the Pokemon in his arms and cradled him close. "We should take him to the Pokemon Center in Ambrette Town. Maybe Nurse Joy will know something."

"Right." Vivienne nodded.

...

Aiden and Vivienne both watched from behind a glass window as Nurse Joy and her Wigglytuff did their best to heal the wounded Helioptile.

"I don't understand why he acted so aggressive towards us before." Aiden whispered.

"He's a wild Pokemon." Vivienne replied, "He must've saw us as a threat and was only trying to protect himself."

"But what I want to know is who or what did this to him?" Aiden clenched his hand into a fist. If this was the work of a human being then he'll track them down and kick their ass for it. It's amazing how people can treat Pokemon so cruelly.

Nurse Joy then stepped out of the room and approached the Trainers. "Helioptile is doing just fine." she said with a smile. Both Trainers sighed in relief.

"Thanks." Aiden said.

"What could've done this to him?" Vivienne asked as they looked through the window again.

"By the looks of the injuries he sustained, he must've been trying to flee." Nurse Joy replied.

"Flee?" Aiden asked, "From what?"

"Possibly from a much larger or stronger Pokemon. Food is scarce around here, so it's every Pokemon for themselves."

"That's awful." Vivienne said as she patted her Eevee, "It's part of life, but that's just awful."

Aiden placed his hand on the glass as he gave the sleeping Pokemon a sympathetic look. "Poor Helioptile..." He turned to Joy. "Where can we find other Helioptiles?" he asked.

"You can check Route 9." Joy replied, "That's were most of the Helioptiles in this area live. It's just towards Glittering Cave."

Aiden's eyes widened when he heard that. "I'm actually going to visit Glittering Cave." he said, "I can drop him off while on my way."

Joy smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. You two have a good night." she said as she turned to leave.

"We will. Thanks." Aiden replied.

"Aiden?" Vivienne asked, "If it's alright, we would like to join you at Glittering Cave."

"Vee!" Mica cried.

Aiden smiled. "Sure. It'll be nice to have a friend with as well. We'll leave as soon as Helioptile wakes up. I don't want to rush things with the little guy."

"Right." Vivienne agreed before the trio left to turn in for the night.

Helioptile opened one eye as soon as they left. Perhaps he was wrong about these humans after all. Perhaps they could help him. Pushing himself up, Helioptile jumped off the small bed and made his way up the wall and into an air vent. From there he followed Aiden and Vivienne to their room.

"Vee?" Mica suddenly looked up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong Mica?" Vivienne asked as she placed her bag on the bunk bed. The air vent door suddenly flipped open and Helioptile fell out before landing on Aiden's head. "Helioptile!" she gasped.

Aiden groaned in pain as he sat up. "Helioptile!" he said, eyebrows furrowed, "What gives? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Helioptile! Helioptile!" the yellow Pokemon was pushing his knee with his two front claws. A begging look on his face.

Aiden and Vivienne looked up at one another. Confused. "What are you trying to tell us?" Vivienne asked as she got down on both knees.

"Helioptile! Helio!"

"Uhh... Do you want to go home now?" Aiden asked.

Helioptile started hopping up and down. But not excitedly. Frantically.

"Is something going on at Route 9?" Vivienne asked.

Helioptile then got a little excited and he chased his tail once. They were getting warmer. "Is something happening in Glittering Cave?" Aiden asked next.

"Helioptile! Helioptile!" Helioptile cried happily before he jumped on Aiden's chest and licked his face before jumping off and running over to the door.

"Looks like it." Aiden said before standing up and putting his jacket back on.

"But it's the middle of the night." Vivienne said, "The cave is already closed for the day."

"Something must be going on." Aiden said as he put his bag back on, "And this little guy needs our help."

"Vee! Eevee!" Mica nudged her Trainer's hands before smiling up at her.

"Mica..." Vivienne looked up at Aiden and smiled as well. "Alright. You win." she said.

Aiden smiled before placing his hand on her shoulder. "Thanks Vivienne." he said.

...

Aiden and Vivienne had to literally sneak their way past the gate guard in order to enter Route 9. Ever since Glittering Cave became a tourist attraction, they've set up certain rules for it. Like how long it's going to be open. The path that had been created by retired Ryhorn Racers had been flattened out so that people didn't have to use a Ryhorn to get to the cave in the first place. But it also meant driving out some of the wild Pokemon. Helioptile led them to Glittering cave, which had a newly built gift store beside the entrance.

"It feels strange." Vivienne whispered, "Imagine how different this place is when it's filled with people."

Aiden nodded. "Alright Helioptile, lead the way."

Helioptile nodded before hopping into the cave. Aiden and Vivienne followed. The whole cave was lit up by glowing moss, so they didn't need to use their flashlights.

"It's beautiful in here." Vivienne said in wonder as her eyes wandered all over the place.

"I know..." Aiden whispered in awe.

Both Trainers developed an urge to want to explore the cave. Just to see more of the beautiful colors around them. But Mica didn't feel the same way. She could sense that something was dangerously wrong. They had missed out the warning outside the cave telling them about the moss. How the moss can easily trick someone into getting lost.

"HELIOPTILE!" she cried.

Helioptile then stopped and was alarmed to see the distant looks in both Trainers' eyes. "Brace yourself!" he yelled before unleashing a Thundershock attack on them. All three of them cried out in pain, but it did the trick.

"What happened?" Aiden asked after feeling a surge of electricity in him.

"I think we must've gotten a little too entranced by the moss...ow." Vivienne replied.

Aiden then smiled down at Helioptile. "Thanks Helioptile." he said.

"Helioptile!" Helioptile smiled back before he continued walking.

After allowing their bodies to settle down a bit they quickly caught up to Helioptile. They were soon out of the moss tunnel and in a much wider portion of the cave. Around them, gem stones glittered off the walls. It wasn't called Glittering Cave for nothing.

"Wow." Vivienne whispered as her eyes glittered faintly.

"Perhaps Glittering Cave really dose live up to its name." Aiden chuckled.

"Helioptile!" Helioptile called out to them.

Aiden and Vivienne walked up to him before they both gasped. In front of them were the same looking tracks from the fresh tunnel they saw much earlier.

"What the hell?" Aiden said to himself.

"Could it be the same ones from before?" Vivienne asked.

"Must be. Come on. Let's follow these tracks and see what these guys are up to."

They did just that. The four followed the tracks deeper into the cave. Soon the faint sound of voices were heard and they stopped dead in their tracks. Helioptile lowered his head and started to growl softly. Sparks appearing from his frills. The four stayed cautious as they got closer and closer. Soon the voices were mixed with a variety of other noises. Like the sound of rocks breaking and other Pokemon wailing out in feat or pain. The four hid behind a rock and peeked out just enough to see what was going on. Horror filled them when they saw the scene. Cages. Cages containing more then one Pokemon. All with scared or panicked looks on their faces. Each cage was stacked above the other and looked overcrowded. Standing not far, with their backs turned to the cages, were a group of five or six people standing in front of a large gaping hole. All of them were dressed in red-orange suits with red hair. All of them wore a pair of red shades.

"Oh my Arceus." Vivienne whispered as tears brimmed her eyes. Her fingers hovering just inches from her mouth.

"Are those the people who hurt you?" Aiden whispered, rage boiling inside him. Helioptile nodded.

_STOMP, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP_

The ground started to vibrate slightly. Causing a few small rocks to hop up and down from the ground. Mica curled against Vivienne as she held onto Aiden in fear. "Aiden... What is that?" she squeaked.

Aiden didn't reply. He kept his eyes on the tunnel as the outline of two figures appeared. One very much larger then the other. Soon they started to come into full view as they stepped into the light. One was that of a young man. Age 20 perhaps? His hair was like that of the men who were also present, but his outfit was slightly different. He was wearing a black blazer that was unbuttoned all the way, revealing a red undershirt, and red pants with black shoes. Both hands were in his pockets and a red-orange visor **(Similar to Bryony's) **covering his eyes. On his left was an insignia of some sort. A orange flame what was a bit darkened in the center. Standing beside him was the most vicious, battle hardened Aggron he's ever seen. Compared to the Aggrons he's seen back in Hoenn, this one looked the most deadliest of them all.

"The tunnel is secured." the man with the visor said, "Good job. We should be able to get all these Pokemon out of here by morning. Now let's get a move on."

"Right." the others said in unison.

One of the Pokemon in the cages started to whimper before letting out a loud wail. Causing a few of the people to flinch or cover their ears.

"Will someone shut it up!" the visored man snapped.

"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Aiden shot up from his hiding spot. Helioptile standing beside him, snapping at the people as sparks flew from his stood up as well, though she looked a bit more frightened.

A growl left the visored man. "I thought you said no one else was in the cave." he hissed.

"I-I did, sir!" one of the men said, "I checked the area three times!"

"Hey? Isn't that the Helioptile that got away from us?" one of the women asked.

"Why, it is." the visored man smirked cruelly.

"_You _were the ones who hurt this poor Helioptile? How could you!" Vivienne cried.

"And why are you caging up those innocent Pokemon!?" Aiden shouted.

"Humph. Like children like you would understand." the visored man said, "No matter. I'll just have to wipe out the both of you. This should be rather quick. Aggron?"

"Aggron!" the large Pokemon snarled as he stood in front of his Trainer.

Aiden took out the Pokeball that contained Torchic, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. "Aiden, are you sure?" Vivienne whispered.

"I honestly don't know." Aiden admitted, "But I'm going to distract them. You go back to Ambrette Town and alert the authorities."

"What about you? That Aggron looks really powerful."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Aiden assured her. Vivienne wanted to protest but she knew it was futile. She could only nod before running out with Mica in her arms. "Torchic! Let's go!" he roared, throwing the Pokeball.

"Torchic!" Torchic chirped as he stood fearlessly before them.

"Humph. You should've ran out with her while you had the chance." the visored man sneered, "No matter. This battle should end rather quickly."

Aiden noticed a light coming from the man's left pocket. He removed his hand to reveal a bracelet of some kind around his wrist. In the center was a stone that was glowing rather brightly. "Aggron, give him hell." the man hissed. Aggron roared just before a blinding light suddenly enveloped him. Aiden, Torchic, and Helioptile could only watch in awe as the Aggron's appearance changed before their eyes.

**X.X**

**They're BACK! And much stronger then before! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

The light surrounding Aggron dissipated into nothing but glitter. Where Aggron once stood was a much different Pokemon. It was much larger, and heavily armored. Making him look impenetrable. Torchic and Helioptile's eyes widened in fear and they immediately scurried to hide behind Aiden's legs. Even Aiden was starting to feel a bit uneasy. Did he just...evolve? But how! Aggron can't evolve!

"H-how?" he whispered. Then he remembered the conversation he had with Sina back in Lumiose. "Is that... Mega Evolution?"

The visored man smiled. "So you do know about Mega Evolution." he purred, placing one hand on his side. "And I assume you don't know what this device is?" he asked, raising his wrist that held the bracelet. "This is called a Mega Ring. This is what enables me to perform Mega Evolution much more easily then having to carry a stone in my pocket."

"Who are you people!?" Aiden finally snapped. Having not forgotten about the caged Pokemon whimpering for help. Torchic sensed the change in his Trainer before coming out of hiding and standing before his opponent.

"Chic! Torchic!" Torchic chirped fiercely.

"Helioptile! Helioptile!" Helioptile came out of hiding as well. All of them wanted answers as to who these people were. And clearly demanded it.

"Curious." the visored man tapped his chin at the sight, "Even a wild Pokemon reacted to your anger. I find this quite unique. But enough of that. I shall answer your question. We are the people who tried to create a beautiful two years ago. But was stopped by your damn cousin!"

Aiden took a step back. "How...did you know he was my cousin?" he asked in disbelief.

"We have our ways." the man replied, "But I grow tired of our conversation now. Aggron! Take care of them."

"GRROOOON!" Aggron roared.

"Torchic! Try to use Ember! Hurry!" Aiden yelled in a panicked tone. Torchic preformed the move. Unsurprisingly, it hardly left a mark. Even if Aggron was a steel type.

The visored man laughed. "How desperate of you. Aggron! Use Iron Tail!" Aggron's tail glowed before he slammed it down on Torchic with little to no mercy whatsoever.

"TORCHIC!" Aiden cried as he immediately ran over and scooped him up in his arms.

"C-chiiiic." Torchic whimpered.

"Torchic..." tears brimmed Aiden's eyes. This was a mistake. But he couldn't let them get away with the other Pokemon. But was the safety of the other Pokemon more important then his own? "Torchic... I'm so sorry. I should've never sent you out in the first place..." A tear rolled down his cheek and hit Torchic's face. Helioptile watched. A feeling of complete rage boiling in him as he turned to the Aggron and unleashed a series of attacks on him. None of which were effective.

Torchic's eyes opened when he felt the tear hit his face. He looked up and saw the guilty look in his Trainer's eyes. _Aiden...don't blame yourself, _he wanted to tell him. A new surge of strength suddenly built up inside him and a new fire burned. Aiden's tears went away as he witnessed a bright light envelope his Torchic.

"Torchic?" he whispered. He placed his Pokemon down and the light grew brighter, enough to catch everyones' attention. Torchic's petite body grew. His legs suddenly become longer and his stubby little wings were replaced with arms. As soon as the light disappeared, a new Pokemon stood. "Combusken!" he cried.

A joyful smile appeared on Aiden's face. "Combusken!" he beamed happily. His first Pokemon had evolved. Just when he least expected. Combusken suddenly charged towards the mega evolved Aggron and swiftly used his long legs to kick him twice in the chest. This time, it actually caused some damage. It was Double Kick. And Double Kick was very effective against a Pokemon like Aggron.

Mega Aggron actually stumbled back in shock. But not enough to intimidate fear or make him want to stop. "Aggron, use Iron Head!" Aggron charged Combusken, aiming to ram him against the wall.

"Dodge and attack from behind with Double Kick!" Aiden countered. Combusken swiftly jumped before delivering a rather effective Double Kick from behind. The attack was enough to cause Aggron to slam against the wall and knock himself out. A light enveloped him and he returned to his original form.

_Huh? He changed back, _Aiden thought. Perhaps there's only a limit as to how long Mega Evolution lasts.

The visored man silently returned his Aggron to his Pokeball. The corners of his lips suddenly arched up into a smile. "Impressive, I will admit. But I have a busy schedule right now." he then turned his back and sighed. "Go. Free the Pokemon. Consider it my reward." The group of people around him suddenly gasped softly.

"But Venice. Sir..." one of them whispered.

"Silence!" he hissed, "The Pokemon here are worthless anyway. Everyone! We're leaving immediately. Leave the Pokemon behind."

"Right." the group said in unison before they all started running down the freshly made tunnel. Venice turned to Aiden, who was still standing where he was.

"Kid. Do me a favor. When the authorities arrive, tell them this: Team Flare is back in Kalos."

Aiden shuttered at the smirk he had on his face before disappearing into the cave as well. He fell to his knees, exhausted. Combusken and Helioptile immediately ran to his side. "I'm fine, guys, thanks." he said to them.

...

By the time Vivienne had returned with the police, Team Flare was long gone and Aiden had freed the caged Pokemon. After being interviewed by Jenny, no charges were pressed on him or Vivienne for trespassing and were free to go. Jenny told them to leave the rest of the investigation to her and her team. But the battle he had with Venice, or that's what he thinks he was called, never left his mind.

"That was some night." Vivienne said as she sipped her coffee. Aiden said nothing and merely messed with the spoon in his coffee as their Pokemon ate. "Is something troubling you?" the silver haired girl asked in a whisper as she leaned forward a bit.

Aiden sighed. "I should've never challenged him." he replied softly.

"What?"

"I should've never challenged him. Because of me, my partner got hurt. I should've known better. Obviously a mere Torchic wouldn't have been able to take down a of that size and power..."

"Stop blaming yourself." Vivienne said as she placed her hand above his gently, "I'm pretty sure he doesn't blame you either."

The shadow of a smile appeared on Aiden's lips as he gave Vivienne's hand a light squeeze. He then felt a nudge on his leg and he looked down to see Combusken looking up at him with a smile. "Combusken..." he said softly.

"Combusken! Combusken!" Combusken chirped happily.

"Told you." Vivienne giggled.

A few minutes later they finished up their breakfast and stood outside of the Pokemon Center. "So what are your plans now that Glittering Cave is temporarily closed?" Vivienne asked with Mica in her arms.

Aiden shrugged. "I guess I'll head on over to Cyllage City and get my next badge." he replied, "You?"

"I'll probably train my Pokemon a bit before challenging the leader. I heard he uses rock type Pokemon so I'm going to have to train Tasu extra hard."

"Rock types, huh? Looks like Froakie is gonna need some extra training too." Aiden chuckled softly.

"Good luck on your challenge." Vivienne said.

"Thanks. You too." Aiden replied. Just as he turned to leave he suddenly heard a familiar cry.

"Helioptile!"

Both Trainers looked over only to see the Helioptile from before standing in front of them. The Pokemon was looking up at Aiden as though he was expecting something from him.

"Helioptile?" he asked before crouching in front of him, "What are you doing here?"

Helioptile's eyes looked over to his bag and then back to him. An 'Ooh' moment occurred in Aiden and he reached into his bag to grab a empty Pokeball. Helioptile then beamed happily before he nudged the red and white capsule and allowed himself to be captured.

"I guess after what happened in Glittering Cave, he must've decided that he wanted to come along." Vivienne said.

"I guess so." Aiden said. He was beginning to think that maybe Viola might be right after all.

...

News of the incident in Glittering Cave spread like wild fire. Aiden arrived at Cyllage City and decided to stop at a cafe for a quick break after battling some Trainers at the beach.

"Could it be true?" he heard someone sitting behind him whisper.

"If it's on the front page then it must be." another replied.

Aiden listened in on their conversation silently as he casually drank his coffee. There were some points when he just wanted to barge into the conversation as well.

"You think they'll try to wipe out everyone again?"

"Nah. I don't think so. The weapon is gone, remember?"

_Weapon? _Aiden couldn't any weapon being involved. Or that's what he knew.

"Plus their crazy leader is long dead. I don't see a point in wanting to continue his plans. I just think it's a waste of time."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Aiden said nothing and casually drank his coffee to avoid any suspicion. As soon as he heard them leave he turned around and saw that they left a newspaper behind. He swiftly snatched it from the table and read the front.

**They're BACK!**

**Incident occurs in Glittering Cave. **

**Police believe Team Flare is the cause.**

**Young Trainers save wild Pokemon**

"Huh?" Aiden blinked. They must be talking about him and Vivienne. Aiden placed the paper aside and finished his coffee. Standing up, he left some change on the table and made his way over to the Gym. Thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to put the incident at Glittering Cave behind him. He didn't want it to distract him. Especially now.

**X.X**

**Bleh, short chapter D:**


	10. Chapter 10

Combusken swiftly dodged another Take Down attack from Grant's Amaura. Grant was the Cyllage City Gym Leader and was actually putting up a well fight. Aiden was beginning to have second thoughts about sending Combusken out first. But then again, it turns out Amaura is part ice type as well. He thought the first battle would end quickly. But Amaura, not matter how cute he looks, is actually quite the fighter.

"Amaura! Use Rock Tomb!" Grant yelled.

"Try to dodge and use Ember!" Combusken swiftly dodged the rocks that were thrown at him and struck Amaura with spits of fire. Amaura cried out in pain. But not enough to cause critical damage.

"I'm impress!" Grant called, "You remind me of another worthy opponent I fought two years back. She used her Charmander to fight my Amaura. Just when we were about to defeat him he evolved into a Charmeleon. Hoof! The adrenaline I felt during that battle."

Aiden blinked. Were they really comparing him to this Natalie person? "Combusken! Finish Amaura off with Double Kick!" Combusken nodded and flung into the air before delivering the finishing blow to Amaura. The ice blue dinosaur let out a defeated wail before returning to his Pokeball. "Good job, Combusken!" Aiden praised his Pokemon, "Return!"

"This is fun!" Grant panted, "It really has been so long since I've last had a worry opponent. Go, Tyrunt!"

"Tyrunt!" a tan and white Pokemon emerged from the Pokeball and stood ready for battle.

"Tyrunt, huh?" Aiden swiftly brought out his Pokedex.

**'Tyrunt: the Royal Heir Pokemon. This Pokemon was restored from a fossil. If something happens that it doesn't like, it throws a tantrum and runs wild.'**

Aiden couldn't help but snicker at the Pokedex entry. "No wonder it's called Tyrunt." he snickered before putting his Pokedex and taking out the Pokeball that contained Froakie next. "Froakie, I choose you!" he howled.

"Froakie!" Froakie emerged from his Pokeball and stood before Tyrunt.

Grant gritted his teeth slightly. This wasn't going to be an easy battle with a water Pokemon out. The chances of him wining were clearly one in a million. "Tyrunt, use Stomp!" he yelled. Froakie didn't have time to react when he was suddenly stomped on by the other Pokemon.

"Froakie! Use Water Pulse!" Aiden yelled.

Froakie jumped back and shot a pulse of water directly at Tyrunt. Tyrunt skidded across the Gym floor before smashing into a rock. Tyrunt shot up and glared dangerously at Froakie. Aiden could've sworn he saw steam blowing from his ears before the Pokemon looked like he was about to go in a rage. "Tyrunt, use Take Down!" Grant yelled. Tyrunt charged Froakie at full speed before ramming him. The attack had sent Froakie flying and caused him to land in one of the small pools of water that surrounded them.

"FROAKIE!" Aiden gasped.

Nothing. Tyrunt stood where he was, panting. He glared at the pool of water and waited for Froakie to emerge. Concern started to fill Grant as he waited anxiously for the other Pokemon to emerge. Just then, the entire pool lit up in a bright light, surprising everyone. A form suddenly jumped out of the water just as the light vanished. But it wasn't Froakie. This Pokemon was a darker shade of blue with a light blue underside. His head wasn't as large and the bubbles around his neck swayed back like a scarf would. Both his arms and legs were very long.

"What Pokemon is that?" Aiden asked as he brought out his Pokedex once more.

**'Frogadier: the Bubble Frog Pokemon, and the evolved form of Froakie. It can throw bubble-covered pebbles with precise control, hitting empty cans up to a hundred feet away.'**

"Frogadier!" Frogadier cried before swiftly throwing a small black ball at Tyrunt. Tyrunt yelp in alarm when he was struck and suddenly found himself in a black fog. It was a Smokescreen attack. Frogadier landed before looking at Aiden over his shoulder. "Frogadier! Frogadier!"

Aiden nodded. "Right. Quick! Surprise Tyrunt with another Water Pulse attack!" Frogadier leaped into the air and shot another pulse of water directly at Tyrunt. This time it defeated him easily.

"Tyrunt is unable to battle; Frogadier wins!" the ref yelled.

"WOOHOO!" Aiden whooped before he and Frogadier embraced one another in a tight hug. "Frogadier, you're awesome!" he said happily as they rubbed cheeks.

"Now that's what I call friendship." Grant said as he approached Aiden with a small case in his hands. "I believe this belongs to you. Take it, you've earned it."

Aiden smiled at Grant before taking the badge out of it's case. "Thank you, Grant." he said.

...

Aiden stretched his arms as high as he could up towards the late afternoon sky. "That's good." he sighed after hearing a few cracks and pops. He was currently on Route 10 and was taking a break by one of the ruins that were present. "These stones are amazing." he said to himself as he rubbed his hand on the smooth rock surface. Just then a flash of blue shot up, causing him to tumble back on the grass.

"Lucario! Stop!" a woman's voice yelled.

Aiden propped him self up just as a woman in skates suddenly came rolling over. Beside her was Lucario, a Pokemon he's rarely seen in Hoenn. "Are you alright?" the lemon haired woman asked worriedly as she knelt beside him, "I'm so sorry about that. Lucario! Get over here!"

A second Lucario suddenly came into view. His head was lowered and he knelt down beside his Trainer. Looking apologetically at Aiden. "Rwwoof." he growled softly.

Aiden said up crossed-legged and smiled at the Pokemon. "Hey, there, buddy. It's alright." he said gently as he patted the Pokemon's head. Lucario growled affectionately and pushed his head into Aiden's hand.

"Hm. It's been so long since he's acted like this towards a stranger. Perhaps there's something in your aura that he likes about. Oh, yeah! I'm Korrina. I'm the Shalour City Gym Leader."

"Really? I was just on my way to challenge you!" Aiden laughed. He allowed Korrina to help him up and the two stood face-to-face with one another.

"Again, I apologize about earlier." Korrina said, "I was doing some Training with my Lucarios when this one suddenly took off and shot an Aura Sphere at this one."

"So that explains the blue light." Aiden murmured. "It's alright, though. I don't blame anyone."

"So I assume you're heading over to Geosenge Town first?" Korrina asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. I decided to take a breather first." Aiden replied.

"Do you know what these stones are?"

Aiden shook his head. "No. I only figured that they must be ruins of some kind."

Korrina tilted her head to the left slightly. Staring at Aiden with curious eyes. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asked.

"No. I'm actually from Hoenn." Aiden replied.

"Well THAT explains everything!" Korrina grinned, "Otherwise you would've known that this is actually a Pokemon burial site."

"Pokemon burial...WAAAAUGH!" Aiden jumped away from his spot near the large stone and bumped into Korrina slightly. "Oh, sorry." he said sheepishly. Still a bit shocked by the suddenly revelation. Korrina laughed.

"It's fine. I should be the one apologizing for not saying it sooner. I just wanted to see what your reaction would've been."

"Oh." Aiden looked back at the flat rock. "I hope I didn't disrespect anything." he said worriedly.

"Nah. You didn't know so they'll probably let you slide." Korrina assured him. She did feel a bit guilty about scaring him though. She was just having a little fun with him. She looked over to her Lucarios, who were giving her disapproved looks. _I know! I know! _She rolled her eyes before turning back to Aiden and placing her hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly at the touch. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. How about I make it up to you?"

Aiden smiled a small smile. "No, no. It's fine. Really." he said.

"Don't tell me it's fine. It's not. Come on, I'll buy you a drink at Geosenge. They have one of the best cafes out there."

"I... Sure." Aiden replied. What's it with everyone and cafes in this region?

...

Geosenge Town has went through a lot of re-construction in the two years since the Team Flare incident. Homes and buildings have been rebuilt and the giant hole where the weapon once stood had been completely filled up. A statue of Arceus had been placed in the center where the original ruins once stood. On it was a bronze plaque dedicating to the many Team Flare members and their Pokemon who didn't come out alive. Most of which were Jane or John Does. They were considered "innocent" men and women who were manipulated by a mad man's dream of a "Beautiful World". Some people are still recovering from that day.

"Here we are." Korrina said as they entered Geosenge Town. "Nice little town with lots of history."

Aiden noticed the Arceus statue not far from them. "Is this where the whole incident occurred with Team Flare and stuff?" he asked.

The smile on Korrina's lips dimmed. "Yeah... This is where everything occurred on that fateful night. Who would've guessed that Team Flare was right under everyones feet this whole time? It was certainly a shocker for me."

"I wouldn't blame you." Aiden said, "I first heard about the thing one morning when my mom called me downstairs."

_Flashback_

_"AIDEN! AIDEN COME QUICK!" _

_Aiden's eyes cracked open as his mother's frantic call woke him up. "What?" he asked as he walked downstairs and into the living. There he found both his parents sitting in front of the TV with shocked expressions on their faces. Aiden looked at the TV himself would've sworn he felt his heart drop to his stomach. It was a live news report from the Kalos region. _

_"What happened?" he finally asked._

_"Something happened last night in Kalos." his mother replied, "A weapon of some sort suddenly erupted from the ground and completely destroyed a small town in its wake. You're cousin was there."_

_"CALEM!?" Aiden exclaimed, "WHAT HAPPENED!? IS HE ALRIGHT!?"_

_"Calm down, Aiden!" his father said, "Calem is fine. He actually managed to stop the ones behind it."_

_"But a lot of people had died..." his mother added in a whisper._

_Flashback ends_

"Yikes. Must've been some morning for you." Korrina said as she drank her Green Ice Tea.

"Yeah." Aiden said as he took a sip of his juice, "Certainly going to be one of the things I'll remember the most before I die." Aiden turned his attention over to his Pokemon, who were playing with Korrina's Lucarios. Sometimes he wished he could be as carefree as they are. Not having any kind of burden or problem on their shoulders. Well, other then survival that is. "Say, dose anyone come here to pay their respects to the people and Pokemon who died during the incident?" he asked.

"Sometimes." Korrina replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I see someone approaching the statue."

**X.X**

**You're probably wondering, "How the heck did Geosenge recover so quickly in just two years?" WELL! It's called Fanfiction ;) Nothing is ordinary about it. And, oh my, who could it be approaching the statue...?**

**Harbinger: It's probably-**

**SHUT UP HARBINGER! You'll spoil it!**

**Harbinger: Hmph. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning: Mild language used and slight angst**

**X.X**

A young woman approached the statue silently. In her hand were three red roses. She knelt down on both knees once she was close. To herself, she silently read the plaque.

_**Here lies the many innocent men, women, and their Pokemon who have lost their lives to the manipulation and lies of a madman. **_

_**May Arceus watch over their souls.**_

What soon followed was a list of people them managed to identify. The ones who weren't severely mangled beyond recognition. The girl hissed to herself when she noticed that two names were missing. Had they purposely forgotten to put down their names? The bastards. Without a word she placed the first rose down. This was for all the people and Pokemon who died in the collapse. She placed the second one down. That was for a friend she only knew a short time before losing them. And then she placed the last one down. A tear rolled down her cheek. That was for a special someone. Someone she had only been reunited for a short time before being torn apart once more.

"I miss you..." she whispered, her voice becoming shakey a bit when the threat of her breaking down in public became clearer. Swallowing, she got to her feet. She looked down at the roses and gave them a mental goodbye before turning to leave.

"Hey...I know her!" Aiden said.

"You do?" Korrina asked.

"Yeah. We bumped into one another back in Lumiose. She just left me there and didn't bother to help me up!" Aiden clenched his hand into a fist. He still hasn't forgotten about that, but why would she be here? Did she know someone who died in the incident? The woman soon passed by. In a brief second, her head turned ever so slightly and she made eye contact with Aiden. Even if her eyes were hidden behind those crimson shades of her's. A whimper from one of Korrina's Lucarios is what snapped him back to reality.

"What's wrong, Lucario?" Korrina asked, concern clear in her tone. Lucarios were known to be fierce, strong-willed Pokemon with hearts of steel. They rarely show any signs of weakness or intimidation. For a Lucario to whimper like that must mean something is terribly wrong. Lucario looked over to his Trainer with sad red eyes. Almost devastated looking and Korrina

"What's wrong with him?" Zorua asked the second Lucario.

"I don't know." he replied, "I'm a little shock myself. He's never done this before. Even when our mother died he didn't shed a tear. He must've sensed something about that human's aura."

"The one that passed by?" Helioptile asked.

"Yeah. I can sense it too. I sense a mixed feeling of overwhelming sorrow and rage. This human is holding a dangerous grudge towards someone."

"Lucario? Why do you look so sad? Answer me." Korrina asked, starting to feel worried herself. "You've never done this before. What's going on?"

Lucario only whimpered. Utterly devastated about something. "Lucario." Aiden said before he gently took his paw into his own hands. Lucario froze, and a new feeling overcame him. "Listen. Whatever is troubling you, there's no need to be sad. Can't you see you're worrying your Trainer? Whatever it is, I'm sure everything will be okay in the end. Don't worry, Lucario, Don't worry..."

Lucario's body relaxed and the sad look on his face disappeared. A smile appeared on his muzzle and he nodded at Aiden. Everyone relaxed. "Thanks, Aiden." Korrina said.

"I figured something was wrong. I knew I had to help."

"But still, thanks."

Aiden smiled a small smile before looking in the direction that the woman passed by. It was funny to think that Lucario's sudden episode started soon after she passed them. "I wonder if it has something to do with the Trainer who passed by. Or I think is a Trainer."

"You think so?" Korrina looked up at him as she comforted her Lucario some more, "It's possible that he must've sensed something in her aura that made him react so sadly."

"Hm." Aiden crossed his arms. There is something suspicious about that young woman. But he couldn't put his finger on it. He decided to push it aside and concentrate on the still slightly shaken Lucario. "Lucario, do you want to have a battle?"

"Roowf?" Lucario looked at him questioningly.

"Are you sure?" Korrina asked.

"Yeah! Maybe if we had a quick battle it might take his mind off what happened!" Aiden looked at her encouragingly. His Pokemon stood by his side and yipped in agreement.

"Aiden..." Korrina looked up at her Lucarios, both nodding in agreement. Korrina looked back at Aiden and smiled. "Sure."

...

"Have you ever done a double battle before?" Korrina asked as they stood across from each other.

"No." Aiden replied, "I'm still a little new to Pokemon battles."

"Well I guess today's the day you'll learn. A double battle is actually quite easy. I'll demonstrate by having one with you right now!" Korrina swiftly brought out the two Pokeballs that held her Lucarios and tossed them out.

"Combusken! Helioptile! Come on out!" Aiden howled as he tossed out both Pokeballs. The Pokeball stood ready for battle as they stared into one another's eyes with determination.

"Lucario! Use Feint on Combusken! Lucario! You use Power-Up Punch on Helioptile!" Both Lucarios nodded in unison before they charged towards their targets.

Aiden felt his palms get a little sweaty when he couldn't tell which Lucario was which. Since they both looked completely identical to the other. Aiden knew he had to come up with a strategy and fast. "Combusken, use Ember to the Lucario on your right! Helioptile, use Thunder Shock to the Lucario on your left!" Aiden finally shouted.

Combusken swiftly swung his head back before shooting spits of fire at the charging Lucario. The Lucario stopped and let out a howl of pain. Fire, after all, was very effective against steel. Helioptile, however, wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack from the other Lucario and was hit rather hard. But that didn't stop him from preforming Thunder Shock on him. It wasn't effective, but it did pack a punch.

"You've got some tough Pokemon here!" Korrina commented.

"Thanks!" Aiden said, "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

Korrina smirked. "Of course not." she said.

A few minutes went by and Combusken was able to defeat one of the Lucarios with ease. Helioptile was still having some trouble, however. Helioptile skidded back until he stopped against a tree. "Combusken! See if you can help Helioptile out!" Aiden yelled.

"HELIOPTILE!" Helioptile snapped. He wanted to finish this Lucario off himself.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Korrina cried. A ball of blue light suddenly appeared in between the Lucario's paws. His red eyes suddenly flashed before he fired the ball at Helioptile. Helioptile jumped out of the way in the nick of time. But felt very weak.

_I've got to come up with something. Otherwise he's done for, _Aiden thought. He must admit, his Helioptile is a little stubborn for not allowing Combusken to help. He then noticed Helioptile's frills suddenly rise up. The crackling of static filled everyone's ears as the small lizard charged himself up with electricity. And then, without warning, he unleashed it upon Lucario like a raging storm. Lucario let out a howl before falling to the ground in defeat. As he did so, Helioptile was surrounded by green light briefly before it disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Aiden asked as he stood beside his Combusken.

"I think that was Parabolic Charge." Korrina replied after she returned her Lucario to his Pokeball.

"What Charge?" Aiden asked.

"Parabolic Charge is a move that electric Pokemon like Helioptile could use. It allows the Pokemon to attack it's opponent with electricity; all the while it also heals the Pokemon that used the move."

"That's incredible." Aiden said before he scooped his Helioptile up and patted his head affectionately. "I guess I have more to learn about Kalos Pokemon then I originally thought." he chuckled softly.

"That was a great battle." Korrina said with a smile, "But I gotta get rolling. My grandfather is expecting me later. But I'll be sure to tell him about you, though. You're a really interesting Trainer."

"Thanks." Aiden said. A very faint blush on his cheeks. No one's ever told him that before.

"I guess I'll see you in my gym, then. Well, I look forward to it. See ya later, Aiden!" she said before skating away.

"Same here!" Aiden called out to her. He then looked at both his Pokemon with a smile. "That was a great battle out there. Thanks for helping."

"Helioptile!" Helioptile chirped.

"Combusken!" Combusken added.

Aiden chuckled. "Alright, now back in the Pokeball. You both deserve a nice long rest."

...

The woman, teenager actually, placed her hand against the smooth stone surface of the ancient grave mark. Lightly running her fingers above the faded lines that was carved into the rock to make an image of the Pokemon that died. But because of many years of neglect and weather change, almost all of the carvings had been faded out of history. And leaving that Pokemon long forgotten.

She cursed softly when she felt the light vibration of her Holo-Caster in her pants. She reached in and took out the circular device and pressed the "Stop" button for the vibrating. "Huh?" she said to herself when she saw the Caller ID. "It...can't be." she whispered. A sudden rush of anxiety filled her as her body trembled slightly. For the first time in two years, she was feeling hesitant.

Her thumb hovered above the "Answer" button. Shaking nervously as sweat rolled down her face. Images of that fateful night rushing back like nobody's business. Reminding her of the bitter reality that they're not coming back. That _he's _not coming back. A hiss left her before she pressed the "Denie" button and placing her Holo-Caster back in her pocket. It couldn't be. He's dead. No one could've made it out alive. Either she was going crazy or it's a sick joke from one of the younger recruits.

Her Holo-Caster started vibrating again. Her soft growl of annoyance left her before she reached into her pocket once more and pulling the device out, tempting on smashing it against the flat rock surface; only to calm down when she recognized the name. This time of someone that she knows is alive. With a relieved smile on her face, she pressed "Play".

**X.X**

**Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I'm feeling a lack of motivation today. I would like to say one thing. Nothing harsh or serious. I just wanted to say that Reviews help keep me motivated. Not that I'm telling you guys to review every chapter. I just like hearing what you guys think of the story. (Just don't point out any writing errors -_-) Anywho, Reviews are appreciated. But not always recommended. As long people are reading my fic, it's cool if they don't review. **

***Piercing screech is suddenly heard***

**What's that? *Looks up at the sky* OH, CRAP, IT'S SONGBIRD FROM BIOSHOCK INFINITE! (Never played Bioshock) Bail out! It's a bail out, Harbinger! **

**Harbinger: Pfff! Like I'm going to be intimidated by some giant mechanical- *Sees Songbird* OH, FUDGE THAT! I'M OUTTA HERE!**

**WAIT FOR ME!**


	12. Chapter 12

Aiden couldn't come up with another word that could describe what he was going through right now. He blinked dumbfoundly at his reflection on the cave wall. Completely lost with words. _Dear, Arceus, they weren't kidding when they said this place is called Reflection Cave, _he thought before standing up straight. He knew that there was no point in just standing around and admiring his reflection all day. But curiosity kept him going. He wondered how it was even possible for something like this to occur in a cave. It's... Amazing!

"Admiring yourself, I see?"

Aiden was a bit started when he saw someone else standing behind him. Although it would've been noticeable with their reflection. "Shauna!" he said, spinning around to face the young girl. The fourteen year old giggled playfully.

"Did I surprise you there? Sorry about that. I was just passing by and I noticed you over here." she then rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

Aiden smiled. "It's fine. I've been scared worse." he placed his hand on her shoulder and she smiled up at him.

"So what do you think of Kalos so far?" she asked.

Aiden shrugged. "Pretty interesting." he said, "I'm just excited to explore more of it."

"So how many badges do you have so far?"

Aiden then sighed. Without reply verbally, he brought out his badge case to reveal two badges. "Yikes. Only two badges so far." Shauna said, "But don't worry! You're getting there. All journeys start off slow. But as time goes on, you'll wish it stayed slow!"

"I guess so." Aiden smiled. "So what brings you over here?" he asked.

"I'm actually heading over to Lumiose City." Shauna replied, "I was visiting a family friend in Shalour City when they introduced me to Furfrou Grooming. Though, I've heard of the thing before."

Aiden raised his brow up slightly. "Furfrou Grooming?" he asked.

"I'll show you." Shauna took out a Pokeball and released her newest Pokemon. It was a fairly small Furfrou, but what striked Aiden was the fact that her appearance was different. Instead of the messy fur look he was use to seeing a Furfrou with, it looked all fluffed up and completely bald in some places. She had pink heart on the tip of her tail and forehead, with pink fur on her legs.

"What the hell happened to her?" he asked.

Shauna giggled. "This is the power of Furfrou Grooming." she said, "The trim you see here is called a Heart Trim." A dreamy look suddenly appeared in her eyes. "This actually inspired me to want to learn more about it! So that's why I'm going to the Furfrou Salon in Lumiose City."

"Wow. Sounds interesting." Aiden said as he patted the Furfrou's head, "Aren't you prettiest little gal? My mom would certainly like you." The little Furfrou playfully licked his face.

"So are you on your way to Shalour City?" Shauna asked.

"Yep. I ran into the Gym Leader and we agreed on a battle in her Gym. I like her. She's pretty interesting."

"She is." Shauna giggled, "I like her too. If you want I can lead you through the cave. It's very easy to get lost in here, but I've gone through this place loads of times."

A look of relief swept across Aiden's face "Yes please!" he exhaled.

Shauna giggled. "Alright, follow me."

Shauna led Aiden through the cave. With her little Furfrou walking just a few feet ahead of them. "Have you heard about the incident in Glittering Cave yesterday?" Shauna asked, "I saw it on the news and in the papers."

"Yeah." Aiden replied, "I was the one who stopped them." Shauna suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Eyes wide with shock. Aiden stopped as well. "What's wrong?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Aiden..." Shauna said slowly, "Are you _sure_? Were they wearing tacky red suits?"

"All but one." Aiden replied.

"Oh, Arceus..." Shauna whispered. Fear growing in her eyes. "How could it be, though?" she added, talking to herself now, "All of the scientists have been arrested. Xerosic was arrested, but he was released for good behavior and is now living with an adopted daughter in Lumiose. I don't see why he would re-store Team Flare. Who could it be, then?"

"Shauna?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that." Shauna apologized.

"What were you talking about?" Aiden asked, folding his arms above his chest.

"I was only thinking out loud. That's all." she replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Well...it could be a bunch of wannabes. You know? So I wouldn't worry about it too much." Aiden assured her. Shauna smiled a small smile up at Aiden. He's probably right. Just a bunch of wannabes with nothing better to do with their time. Besides, the ultimate weapon is destroyed anyway. What would be the point?

"Yeah. You're right. But let's change the subject." she said before the two resumed walking.

"Good idea." Aiden agreed. This Team Flare stuff was starting to give him a headache. "I want to know about _you're _journey through Kalos. What was it like?"

Shauna smiled. "Considering it only started two years ago, I might as well. I started my Journey in Vaniville Town with my friend, Calem. Trevor is from Lumiose City and Tierno is from Aquacorde Town. We all received letters from Professor Sycamore wanting us to come to his lab in Lumiose. So we did! But before we left, Calem and I decided to stop at our new neighbor's house. We would've never guessed she was the daughter of Grace Dane. Or...adopted, I should say."

"Adopted?" Aiden asked, "You mean Natalie?"

Shauna nodded. A sad smile appeared on her face. "Natalie was our friend. She was everyone's friend. You've probably heard this a million times, but she was the nicest girl you'll ever meet." Shauna paused when the memory of her and Natalie in Parfum Palace popped up. How they helped the owner search for his Furfrou and rewarded them in the end with a Fireworks show. That was truly something she would never forget. "Sometimes I saw her as an older sister. Did you know that Glittering Cave was actually the first place she and Calem encountered Team Flare?"

"Shut up." Aiden was surprised.

"Mm hm. Natalie was the one who single handedly defeated the scientists. She saved the Power Plant, the Pokeball Factory, and from what I heard, an Pokemon in Frost Cavern."

"I...never knew that." Aiden said. He always thought it was his cousin who fought Team Flare all the way. "I'm curious, though. What happened to her?"

Shauna lowered her head. "One day, we all met up outside of Victory Road. Trevor, Tierno, and myself challenged her to a Pokemon Battle. Amazingly, she defeated all of us. I should have you know, she was very close with her Pokemon. All of them. It was truly amazing. But then...we were ambushed."

"By who?"

"Team Flare." Shauna closed her eyes, "They wanted her to come with them, otherwise they would hurt us. We begged her not to go, but she did. She gave us her things and just went with them. We looked all over Kalos for her. Putting up missing Trainer posters and everything. But we just couldn't find her. Most of us had given up, including myself." she said shamefully. "But Calem never gave up. He was determined to find her. It wasn't until we got the Holo-message that everything changed. It turns out that Clemont had an idea on where she could be. He took us to a cafe that was actually run by Team Flare. I, being the pathetic coward I am, ran off. I don't know what happened after that. I was so scared that I actually bumped into Diantha."

"Wait. Diantha? As in Diantha Carnet? _The _Diantha Carnet?" Aiden asked in awe. He's heard of Diantha and has even seen her movies. She's an amazing actress and everyone knows it. Just by her sheer beauty and personality, it would explain why everyone loves her.

"Yep. She was actually the Kalos Pokemon League Champion at the time. Of course, being in sheer panic at the time, I didn't recognize her. I can't really remember what happened next, though. It all happened so fast that I can only pick up a few parts of it. Diantha must've taken me somewhere, because I remember a door closing. Then I heard the Professor's voice. And a woman's voice as well. Though she didn't sound too happy about me being there. I remember Diantha hugging me and saying something back to the woman. The next thing I remember is reuniting with my friends in Geosenge Town."

"That's it?" Aiden asked, "All of that happened in just one night?"

"Mm hm. I'm guessing I must've fallen asleep during that time because I felt so tired. Maybe that's why I couldn't remember everything. Common sense." she chuckled softly, "Anyway, he found Natalie. But...she was crying. I've never seen her cry before. It was awful." Shauna shuddered slightly.

"Why?" Aiden asked.

"We don't know. We tried asking her what Team Flare did to her but she wouldn't say a word. She wouldn't even look at us. She only allowed Professor Sycamore, or that pink haired lady, to go near her."

"I guess Team Flare must've done something to her that traumatized her a lot." Aiden said sadly.

Shauna nodded. "We thought so too. The next day, we gathered outside of Route 14 so we could start our journey again. I didn't understand why we choose that spot, but what the hell. That's when Natalie handed her Pokedex over to Professor Sycamore. Saying that she wouldn't be needing it anymore. We were shocked, except for the Professor. He told her that he understood and took it without question. She then gave me her hat and told me to give it to her mother for her. We...didn't understand why..." Tear brimmed Shauna's eyes when she remembered the last few words she said to them.

_"I can't do this anymore." she said without looking at them, "And don't ask why. This is something my Pokemon and I must face alone without the likes of _you _guys."_

Those words held no emotion in them. And sounded very cold. It actually scared her a bit. "We never saw her again after that. We tried calling her on her Holo-Caster but she blocked us. The pink haired woman, Malva her name is, told us it was our fault. And I don't see how it was our fault."

"I don't see how either." Aiden agreed.

"But yeah, I gave her mother her hat. After that, we all resumed our journeys. But it didn't feel the same without Natalie... I... I miss her..." Shauna was on the verge of crying. Tears already rolling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, Shauna." Aiden said gently, "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want you to. Maybe she just needed to be alone. You know? Try to heal. Perhaps someday she'll all of you by calling you. Don't give up, Shauna."

Shauna sniffed and smiled. "Thank you, Aiden." she said, "You really do remind me of Natalie in a way: your kindness."

"Woof! Woof!" Shauna's Furfrou stopped in front of the cave exit and barked at it.

"Looks like we're at the end." Shauna said.

"I guess so. Thanks for walking with me." Aiden said, giving her a bow.

"Not a problem. Don't be afraid to call if you need anything." Shauna gave him a wink, "Good luck on your journey."

**X.X**

**I just wanna say, it turns out that in the manga, Shauna was an aspiring Furfrou Groomer. Just wanted to point that out!**


	13. Chapter 13

Helioptile skidded back after receiving a blow from Korrina's Hawlucha. The lemon haired Gym Leader was currently on her last Pokemon as she stood off against Aiden. Who was surprisingly winning. Her Mienfoo was defeated by Zorua, Machoke was defeated by Combusken, and now Hawlucha was getting her butt whooped by Helioptile.

"Hawlucha, use Flying Press!" Korrina cried.

"Helioptile, use Thunder Shock!" Aiden roared.

Hawlucha collided with the other Pokemon's attack head on. The bird let out a screech before collapsing on the gym floor in defeat. "Hawlucha is unable to battle. Helioptile wins!" the ref yelled.

Aiden cheered and whooped in victory before embracing his Helioptile, who happily jumped into his arms. "Congratulations." Korrina said as she skated towards the two with a case in her hands, "You and your Pokemon put up a pretty good fight! Here's the Rumble Badge!"

Aiden thanked Korrina before taking the Boxing Glove shaped badge from the case and held it in the palm of his hand. "Look, Helioptile!" he said, gray eyes flashing with pride, "'We're to be in the Pokemon League in no time!"

"Helioptile!" Helioptile cried happily.

...

Aiden was sitting on the soft sand beach of Shalour City. Silently gazing up at the Tower of Mastery. It was after the Gym battle he had with Korrina and decided to have some quiet time to himself. He enjoyed listening to the waves hit against the sand while the Wingulls and Pelippers hovered just feet from the glittering blue water. It was perfect. It all reminded him of Hoenn. As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to get homesick. He couldn't help but wonder how his family was doing without him. And it's been so long since he's last called his mother.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Aiden looked over his shoulder to see Korrina approaching him with a smile on her. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing her skates at all. Just shoes that matched her outfit. The woman happily plopped beside him and looked up at the Tower as well. "The Tower of Mastery has been in my family ever since one of my ancestors discovered Mega Evolution. The view from up there is fantastic!"

"I can only imagine." Aiden chuckled as he looked back at the Tower as well. The two said nothing for a good few minutes until Korrina turned her head over to look at Aiden.

"Tell me about yourself, Aiden. What's life like in Hoenn?"

"A bit different." Aiden replied, "We're practically like a giant island on it's own. So we're surrounded by ocean either way. I grew up in Littleroot Town most of my life, but I was actually born in Fortree City."

"Fortree City?" Korrina gave him a questionable, "Never heard of it."

"You won't believe it, but it's actually a city of tree houses."

"No way." Korrina's jaw dropped, "Tree houses!? How do they get around?"

"It's all connected by a bridge system in the trees. I've only been to the city twice in my life. One was to visit my grandparents for the Feather Carnival and the second was for my sweet sixteen. I wanted to go someplace special."

"Hoenn sounds amazing." Korrina said, "It sounds like a place I could go to."

"You'll love it there if you're into beaches. If you ever do visit I could give you a tour. Maybe if you're lucky, the Feather Carnival might be in secession."

"I would like that." Korrina gave Aiden a smile.

"Aiden?" a familiar voice asked.

Aiden looked over his shoulder and smiled when he saw who it was. "Hi, Vivienne!" he said, standing up. Mica happily jumped out of her Trainer's arms before circling Aiden playfully. Wagging her large tail.

"A shiny Eevee! That's incredible!" Korrina said in awe as she patted the Pokemon. "You're one lucky girl if you have one."

"Thanks." Vivienne said as she scooped her Pokemon back in her arms. "Are you Korrina?"

"Yes ma'am!" Korrina proudly placed both fists on her hips and held her head high. "Lady Korrina of Shalour City!"

Vivienne giggled. "You're funny. I'm here to challenge you to a Gym battle, actually. But first there's something I have to attend to."

"What is it?" Aiden asked.

"I received a Holo-message earlier from a old man who goes by the name of Gurkinn. I have no idea who this man could be, but he told me to come to the Tower of Mastery here in Shalour City."

"Did you say Gurkinn?" Korrina asked, "He's my grandfather."

"Oh! Do you know where I can happen to find the Tower Mastery?"

"Easy! It's right in front of us." Korrina gestured to the single island just a few feet from them. Vivienne couldn't help but blink in unison with her Eevee as they gazed up at the Tower in awe and wonder.

"Did my grandfather say anything else in the message?" Korrina asked.

"Why, yes. He mentioned that there would be two others coming as well. But he didn't say who."

Aiden suddenly felt his Holo-Caster vibrate in his pants. Catching everyone off guard. He reached into his pocket and took the device out before pressing "Play". The holo-image of an old man suddenly appeared. "Is this your grandfather?" he asked Korrina as he listened to the message.

"Yep." Korrina replied.

"That's the same message I got." Vivienne said as soon as the message was over.

"Looks like we'll be going to the Tower of Mastery together, then." Aiden gave Vivienne a smile.

"Come on!" Korrina said, "I'll take both of you there."

...

The large double doors opened with a low groaning sound. Aiden and Vivienne followed Korrina into the large, circular room. In the center stood a large statue that resembled a Lucario. But in a much different appearance. This appearance made it look stronger and fiercer. A large spiral staircase spiraled up the hollow tower. The trio stopped and the doors closed with a bang, causing both Aiden and Vivienne to jump.

"Grandpa?" Korrina called, her voice echoing through the tower.

"Is he here?" Vivienne asked.

"He always is." Korrina replied. She beginning to feel confused herself. "Grandpa!" she called again. This time it was a bit louder.

"That's very strange." Korrina rubbed her chin, "This isn't like him."

"Hello?"

Aiden turned around and nearly jumped when he saw it was. _Aw, crap! _he thought frantically to himself and silently praying that the boy wouldn't recognize him. But unfortunately, he was dead wrong. The amber eyes flashed once they spotted him and the sandy blond eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"YOU!" Eli roared, "YOU'RE THE DUDE WHO BUMPED INTO ME BACK IN PARFUM PALACE!" Eli folded his arms above his chest angrily as he glared at Aiden.

"And who might _you _be?" Korrina asked as she stood defensively beside Aiden. Arms crossed as well.

"I'm Eli." Eli replied, "I got some message on my Holo-Caster by some old guy telling me to come here."

Aiden slumped and his jaw dropped in dismay. "You've got to be kidding me." he said in monotonous tone, "_You're _the third Trainer who's suppose to come?"

"You got a problem with that?" Eli asked.

"Wha- no! It's just... Just..." he sighed, "Never mind."

"Well now that everyone's here, all that's missing is Grandpa." Korrina said. She brought out her Holo-Caster and went through the list of numbers she had. "I'm gonna try and call him."

"Korrina?" an elderly voice bounced off the walls.

Everyone shot their heads up in unison. Looking over the edge of a stone balcony was head. They could barely make out the features because he was so high up. "Grandpa!" Korrina called, "What the hell are you doing way up there!? The Trainers you've called are here! We've been waiting for eight minutes now!"

"They have!?" Gurkinn called, "My bad! I was busy talking to Diantha!"

"Diantha's here!?" Korrina asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" a second head looked over the balcony as well. Everyone could make the faint appearance of a smile on her face. "I'm sorry! I busy talking to your Grandfather!" she yelled.

"It's alright!" Korrina replied.

"You four wait right there! We're coming down!" Gurkinn yelled.

"Do we even have a choice!?" Korrina asked jokingly.

In a few minutes, both Gurkinn and Diantha walked down the long spiral staircase. "I'm so sorry about the wait." Gurkinn apologized, "I didn't think out conversation would last this long. Any way, let's get down to business. Do you all know why you were called here?"

The trio of Trainers shook their heads in unison. He never gave much detail as to why he needed them to come in the first place. Only that it was important if they did. Korrina looked over to her Grandfather and crossed her arms. "Grandpa, you never did tell them why in the message." she said.

"Well, my dear granddaughter, I'm getting there. Tell me, have you three heard of Mega Evolution?"

"I've heard of it." Aiden replied. He then heard Eli scoff.

"Of course you do. You're Calem's cousin, right? He wields Mega Evolution, too."

"That doesn't mean he told me about it!" Aiden snapped, "I never knew he was able to Mega Evolved his Pokemon."

"Boys!" Gurkinn said, "Now is not the time to argue. But I am glad you know of Mega Evolution, Aiden. You see, that is why I called all of you here today. I am here to offer you three a device that allows you to preform Mega Evolution." The three Trainers eyes widened in shock. Was this guy serious? Gurkinn laughed at their expressions and continued. "I know it's a bit of a shock, but I should have you three know that Korrina and Diantha here have the ability to preform Mega Evolution themselves."

"Mm hm." Diantha nodded.

"That's right!" Korrina chimed.

"How?" Vivienne asked.

"My pendant." Diantha replied first as she gingerly lifted her sun shaped pendant up for them to see. In the center was a Mega Stone. "This was a gift given to me by an old friend of mine long ago. Since then, I've been able to preform Mega Evolution with my Gardevoir."

"And mine comes from my left glove." Korrina answered next as she lifted up her left hand. In the center of the glove was a Mega Stone as well. "This was given to me by Grandpa. I use this to Mega Evolve my Lucarios!"

"That's incredible." Aiden said.

"Yes. That is why I called you three here today. I am here to give you each a Mega Ring." Gurkinn said.

"WHAT!?" the trio cried in unison. Korrina swung her head over to her Grandfather with a shocked and confused expression. But all Gurkinn gave her was an assuring smile.

"Two years ago, there was only one Mega Ring in existence. But as time went on, we managed to create four. One went to your cousin, Calem. And now, I am entrusting you three with them."

Aiden stammered in complete disbelief. "B-but why us?" he asked.

"Simple," Gurkinn stood tall and confident with his head held high. "I believe you three possess the ability to preform Mega Evolution."

_Is this guy serious? _Aiden thought. Even Eli deserves it? This guy must be crazy to think that a Trainer like Eli should wield Mega Evolution. But being wise and polite, he kept his mouth shut about that. Gurkinn brought out three small cassess. Each containing a Mega Ring created specifically for them.

"This looks incredible." Vivienne said as she gazed at her Mega Ring.

"I'll say." Eli agreed.

Just as Gurkinn was about to hand Aiden his, Korrina suddenly snatched it from his hands. "Look... I do have to apologize." she looked at Aiden with a guilty look, "You'll have to make it up to the top of the Tower of Mastery if you want the Mega Ring. You've done great rolling with the punches. So great that I'd like to ask you a favor... Battle me again, won't you? But this time, it won't be just another Gym Battle... I want a battle between equals! As two Trainers who can use Mega Evolution!" she suddenly sprinted over to the steps. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at Aiden. "I'll be waiting for you with Lucario at the top!" she then sprinted up.

Aiden watched her before turning to Gurkinn. "Ah, that granddaughter of mine." he sighed, "I do apologize, but perhaps you should battle her again. If that is her request."

Aiden blinked before smiling. "I will." he said before sprinting up after her.

Diantha placed her hand on Gurkinn's shoulder and smiled at him. "If I may, I wish to go watch them. I am curious as to see how this battle will turn out."

"There's no need to ask, Diantha. Feel free to go." Gurkinn replied with a smile.

...

Aiden had never felt so much adrenaline in his life. As soon as he reached the top he couldn't help but marvel at the view. He could've sworn he could see the tip of Prism Tower from up therover

" I really love this place!" Korrina said as she looked at the horizon with her Lucarios by her side. "When I'm here with my Pokemon, looking at the wide-open sky above, all worries disappear, and I feel like I can do anything!" She turned to Aiden and gave him a warm smile. "Thanks for coming all the way up here. It was decided that this must be the place where the Mega Ring is handed over. Something about making sure we never forget to set our sights as high as the sky. And here it is-your very own Mega Ring!" Korrina handed the now open box to Aiden.

Aiden slowly removed it and couldn't help but look at the bracelet in silent awe.

"It's in the shape of a bracelet, so IT'S super easy to wear!" Korrina added.

"Thank you..." Aiden whispered before he placed it on his left hand. Perfect fit.

"Give your Pokemon the right Mega Stone, and try battling with it! Your Pokemon will surely answer the call of the Mega Ring!"

"Rwooof!" the Lucario Aiden had helped the other day suddenly ran towards him and circled him.

"Hmmm? Lucario, what's wrong?" Korrina asked.

"Rwoof!" Lucario stopped at Aiden's side and smiled up at him. Korrina looked a bit surprise.

"Lucario, are you sure? You want to battle alongside Aiden?" she asked. Lucario nodded. "I don't know what to say..." Korrina's voice trailed off slightly, "I'm a bit shocked that some traveling Trainer seems to have a stronger bond with you than I do... Just like Natalie did... Haha! Well, he must be something special! So, whaddya say, Aiden? Will you and Lucario battle against me and my Lucario? A Lucario-on-Lucario battle! It will be nothing short of riveting. They both have a Lucarionite in hand! How about we get this show on the road?"

"Yes." Aiden replied with a smile.

Korrina smiled back. "I can feel Lucario's passion. Perhaps it's just that he doesn't want to lose his brother, but it may be that he's just on the same wavelength as you..." she then turned to her Lucario, "Ready, Lucario? _Let's give it all we've got_!"

...

As Diantha reached the last few steps, she heard the battle begin. Excitement grew and she quickly walked a bit faster up the steps. Her heels hitting against the paved stone. It wasn't easy walking up these steps with them. As soon as she reached the top she poked her head out and watched the two Lucarios combat against one another.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Korrina yelled.

"Try to dodge and use Bone Rush a second time!" Aiden roared.

Diantha blinked. They haven't Mega Evolved their Pokemon yet. She was then taken back a bit when she noticed the Gem on Korrina's left hand glowing. Aiden blinked, memories of the incident in Glittering Cave came rushing back when he witnessed Mega Evolution for the first time. Her Lucario was suddenly enveloped in a bright light. Once the light vanished, Lucario's form had changed. The blue dog threw his head back and howled mightily.

Aiden was a bit startled when he noticed the Lucarionite glowing on his bracelet as well. As if on instinct, he threw his wrist up and a light surrounded him and Lucario as well. Soon the light disappeared and Lucario's form had changed as well. _Is it our bond that's caused this? _Aiden wondered to himself. The battle soon resumed and Aiden was surprisingly winning.

"What an incredible bond you have! With amazing power!" Korrina remarked.

Diantha smiled. Yes. She could sense something from Aiden. Even if the boy didn't know it, he was strong. Both him and his Pokemon. Even if she just met him. Something about him reminded her of dear Nat- No. Her name isn't Natalie. That was her adoptive name. Plus she isn't the same sweet, shy girl she met at a cafe while talking with her father. At least, to people that is. She still shows kindness towards her Pokemon and blood relatives. Aka, Malva and Augustine. But it's been so long since she's last heard from any of them. Diantha had been in thought so much that she didn't notice Aiden's victory until she heard the opposing Lucario collapse to the floor.

"What an explosive battle!" Korrina said after she returned her defeated Lucario to his Pokeball, "I could tell that both Mega Lucario didn't hold anything back! With strong bonds like that, you shouldn't have any trouble triggering your Pokemon's Mega Evolution!" She then gave her other Lucario a brief look before smiling. "I think it would be best if you took that Lucario along with you on your journey."

"What?" Aiden asked.

"It's quite apparent that you two make truly incredible team!" Korrina replied.

"She's right." Diantha chimed in as she stepped outside and approached them, "I watched the entire battle and saw you handle Lucario. It's as though you were destined to meet."

Aiden looked over to Lucario, who smiled up at him. He then smiled back and nodded at Korrina. "I'll take him, then." he said.

Korrina smiled softly as she gently placed Lucario's Pokeball in his hand. "As long as Pokemon and Trainers have the kindness to care for each other and give each other courage, the world will be full of smiles!" she added.

...

The trio walked back down the large Tower. "Where is everyone?" Aiden asked once they reached the bottom. Diantha looked around and noticed that everyone was gone.

"Good question." she replied, "Korrina? Would you happen to know?"

Korrina shrugged. "Beats me."

"Hm." Diantha then approached the doors, "Maybe they're outside." she said. As soon as she opened both doors, she jumped back in surprise when Gurkinn, Vivienne and surprisingly Eli, all jumped out with streamers and confetti.

"SURPRISE!" they cried in unison.

Aiden gave Korrina a confused look, but she only gave him a playful grin and winked. This told him that she knew something was up. Diantha was confused herself when she suddenly started to laugh. She had forgotten it was her own birthday.

**X.X**

**I've noticed that Aiden has made a lot of lady friends, but not girlfriend. Should I add a Aiden/? Pairing? If so then who? Here are his new lady friends:**

**Vivienne**

**Viola**

**Korrina**

**Let me know if you have an idea. I still haven't decided if he should be in a relationship. **


	14. Chapter 14

Half of a strawberry shortcake was placed in the middle of the small picnic table. Covered in smooth white frosting with strawberries circling around interior revealed it to be vanilla flavored with strawberries on the inside as well. The Pokemon had separate cake of their own made especially for them. The weather was nice and everyone was having a rather pleasant time.

"I can't thank all of you enough for taking the time to throw this party for me." Diantha said as joyful tears brimmed her eyes.

"Sorry you didn't get any presents, though." Korrina said before taking a piece out of her slice of cake with her fork.

"Don't't worry. The fact that you threw me a party is a well enough present for me." Diantha assured her.

"Had I known it was your birthday I would've bought you a present." Vivienne said thoughtfully as she picked at the strawberry on her cake slice with her fork.

"I wasn't planning on having guests over. But when I realized I was having you kids over on the day of her birthday, I might as well have you three stay around a little longer." Gurkinn said.

"This is really nice. Thank you." Aiden said.

"Diantha," Vivienne spoke up, "How long have you known Gurkinn and Korrina?"

Diantha swallowed her cake piece for replying. "I've known ever since I was in my mid-to-late-twenties. Just starting out my acting career."

"Diantha is actually a long time friend of Professor Sycamore and Lysandre." Gurkinn chimed.

Aiden and Vivienne looked a bit surprised. Eli, however, only ignored it and ate his cake slice like nothing. "Pardon, but who's Lysandre?" Vivienne asked.

"Lysandre is the inventor of the Holo-Caster." Korrina replied.

"_Was _the inventor of the Holo-Caster." Gurkinn corrected. "He was also the leader of Team Flare. You three have heard of Team Flare, yes?" The trio silently nodded in unison. "He was blinded by madness and a vision of making the world a beautiful place by re-awakening the ultimate weapon that had been buried underneath Geosenge Town many years ago. If it hadn't been for Calem, we all wouldn't be here."

Aiden shuddered slightly. To think that he had been alseep during the entire thing. If Team Flare had succeeded, he wouldn't have woken up to hear about it. Everything would've happened so fast. It would've been a quick, peaceful death. Sleeping silently under the covers and oblivious to the event that had occurred.

"But he was a good man." Diantha added softly as she stared at her cake slice. A faraway look in her lovely eyes. "All he ever wanted was to make the world a better place. The world's problems isn't the only reason why he wanted to wipe out everyone."

"What was that, Diantha?" Korrina asked.

Diantha seemed to have snapped out of it and looked over to Korrina. "What? Oh. It's nothing. I'm just...mumbling nonsense to myself." she laughed softly.

Aiden gave her a slight look of suspicion before shrugging it off. "How long have you known both men?" he asked.

"I've known Augustine through his little sister, Florence. All of us have been friends since College. I met Lysandre a few years after Augustine became a full-fledged Pokemon Professor. Lysandre is actually one of his first students. Florence was away in Sinnoh at the time, though. It was Lysandre who introduced me to his cousin Malva."

"Malva?" Aiden dropped his fork in surprise, "As in, Malva of the Kalos Elite Four?"

Diantha smiled and nodded. "Though she wasn't part of the Elite Four at the time, she was still a tough Trainer. I wouldn't say we were close, but we got along. The four of us, you could say, were like family. Always getting into different kind of mischief and trouble." she chuckled fondly.

"What kind? Can you tell us?" Vivienne asked.

"Yeah!" Korrina agreed, "You've never told us about one of your adventures."

Diantha laughed. "Alright, alright, settle down. Here's one that I can remember as clear as day." Diantha opened her mouth to begin, but then closed it when she noticed a red speck in the sky. "What's that?" she asked. Everyone looked over in the direction she was looking at and spotted the speck as well. The speck soon grew, revealing it to be both red and white. It was then that Vivienne let out a small gasp.

"That's a Delibird." she said.

The Delivery Pokemon let out a cheerful chirp as soon as he landed on the table and in front of Diantha. Everyone watched as it reached into his sack-like tail, rummaging through it, and pulled out an envelope.

"It this for me?" Diantha asked.

"Del! Del!" the Delibird chirped happily.

"Thank you." Diantha smiled as she took the envelope from his wings. The Pokemon left as everyone turned their attention over to Diantha as she opened the envelope. She pulled out a rather delicate looking card that was snow white with ribbon patterns on the side. On the front was a Raltz and Kirlia dancing happily in the snow.

"Who is it from?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know yet." Diantha replied before opening the car. A red rose suddenly slipped out and landed on her lap. A slight blush appeared on her face as she picked it up.

"A rose?" Korrina asked. Diantha turned her attention back to the card and silently read what it said inside.

_Dear Diantha, _

_It has been two years since we've last spoken to one another. Let alone seen one another. I'm sorry I haven't been replying to your calls. I've been very busy as of late. But know that I haven't forgotten about you. It's your birthday, yes? Please accept that lovely rose as a token of my apology. Happy Birthday, dearest. _

_P.S. She's doing just fine. You know who I'm talking about._

_Youre Friend, Augustine. _

A tear ran down Diantha's cheek as a small smile appeared on her lips. She closed the card and held both it and the rose against her chest.

"Diantha? Is everything alright?" Korrina asked.

"Mm? Oh, it's fine. Just a letter from an old friend of mine." she replied.

Eli suddenly placed his fork down and turned to Aiden. A fierce look present in his eyes. "Don't think I've forgotten about our battle back in the Palace. I want a rematch." he demanded.

Aiden frowned. "Can't we do it some other time? It's Diantha's birthday for Arceus's sake! Show some respect."

"It's fine, Aiden." Diantha assured him, "It would be a great time to practice for your next Gym battle anyway. Plus I'm quite curious to see how this battle will turn out."

Aiden sighed. "Alright. But only four Pokemon. Lucario still needs to rest after out battle with Korrina earlier."

"Fine." Eli replied.

...

Diantha, Korrina, Gurkinn, Vivienne and Mica all watched from the picnic table as both boys stood off against one another. Both with determined expressions. Eli threw out his first Pokemon. "Sharpedo, I choose you!" he roared.

_Sharpedo_, _huh? I remember seeing a lot of those back home,_ Aiden thought fondly before tossing out his Pokemon. "Helioptile, let's go!" he yelled.

"This match should end rather quickly." Vivienne said as she watched.

"Vee!" Mica cried in agreement.

"I wouldn't say that." Diantha said, surprising both Korrina and Vivienne a bit.

"What makes you say that?" Korrina asked.

"Sharpedo is also part Dark type." Gurkinn answered instead, "Helioptile is part Normal. So whatever other move Sharpedo might throw at him, it'll possibly do a bit more damage then normal."

"Sharpedo, use Assurance!" Eli yelled. The dark fish suddenly jumped out of the water by surprise and struck Helioptile. Helioptile skidded across the sand before jumping back up and standing on two legs.

"Helioptile, use Thunder Shock!" Aiden yelled. Helioptile's frills rose up and a blast of electricity left him. But what happened next surprised everyone.

"Dodge and attack him with Ice Fang!" Eli countered.

The shark jumped out of the water once more, dodged the ribbons of electricity fired directly at him, and clamped down in the smaller Pokemon with icy fangs. Helioptile screeched in shock and pain before being lunged out to sea.

Vivienne shot up from her seat sharply. "Hey! He can't do that!" she snapped.

"Vee! Eevee!" Mica barked in agreement.

"Wait." Diantha said, "Watch."

Helioptile's head suddenly broke the water's surface and actually appeared to be in perfect health. He casually shook his head a bit before swimming back to shore. Aiden, Vivienne, and Eli were all flabbergasted.

"How?" Vivienne whispered.

"Helioptile is full of surprises." Korrina answered, "It has an ability called Dry Skin. Depending on the climate around them, the Pokemon will either lose or gain health."

"And since Helioptile is in the water, he managed to gain much of his health back." Gurkinn chimed in.

"That's amazing." Vivienne remarked.

Eli growled in frustration. "Sharpedo, use Crunch!" he roared.

"Dodge and use Thunder Wave!" Aiden countered.

Helioptile rose his frills up and unleashed a wave of electricity upon the water. Causing it to light up in a brief yellow flash before disappearing. Sharpedo suddenly found himself paralyzed in mid-charge and was beginning to look alarmed. If he doesn't swim he'll drown. Luckily, Aiden knew this.

"Finish him with Parabolic Charge!"

Helioptile unleashed another blast of electricity, defeating Sharpedo. Eli cursed as he returned his Pokemon. "Gligar, come out!" he roared. Aiden returned Helioptile and threw out Zorua next.

"Use Feint Attack!" Aiden yelled. Zorua let out a yip before charging Gligar.

"Attack him with Fly!" Eli roared. Gligar looked over his shoulder and gave his Trainer a confused expression. Eli looked at him in dismay. "Well? Aren't you going to use Fly?" he asked.

Aiden had to bit his tongue to resist the urge to laugh. Gligar couldn't learn Fly. Gligar's don't necessarily fly. The closest thing they do to flying is gliding. Hence the name Gligar. "Zorua, use Foul Play!" he roared, taking advantage of the situation. The attack landed a critical hit to the distracted Gligar and weakened him.

"Use U-turn!" Eli snapped frustratingly. Zorua swiftly dodged the attack and caused Gligar to crash into a nearby rock. Defeating the Pokemon surprisingly. "Damn it!" Eli cursed as he returned his Pokemon to his Pokeball and threw out Phantump next. Aiden returned Zorua and replaced him with Combusken.

"This battle is certainly getting heated." Korrina said before taking a bite out of her slice of cake.

"Aiden reminds me of Calem in a way." Diantha added, "He certainly knows how to handle and command his Pokemon well."

"Gurkinn?" Vivienne asked, "Do you think it was wise to give Eli a Mega Ring? Look at the way he's treating his Pokemon in battle."

"She's got a point, Grandpa." Korrina agreed, "Is it really a good idea to give a Mega Ring to someone like Eli? I mean you barely even know the kid."

Gurkinn smiled. "You're right with that, granddaughter. But I trust my decision. I can see something in Eli that's managed to convince me to give him a Mega Ring as well. Like how I felt with Vivienne and Aiden."

Vivienne blinked and looked down at her Mega Ring.

Phantump fell on the sand in defeat. Eli returned her to her Pokeball before throwing out his last Pokemon, Pupitar. Aiden had only two Pokemon left: Frogadier and Lucario. He said he wouldn't bring out Lucario, so he threw out Frogadier instead.

"Pupitar, use Thrash!" Eli snapped, sounding a bit desperate.

"Dodge and use Surf!" Aiden yelled. Frogadier leaped out of the way and landed in the water. In a matter of seconds, a large wave aappeared and smashed into Pupitar. It immediately defeated him.

Eli cursed loudly, stomping his foot angrily on the ground like a angry child who didn't get his favorite toy for Christmas.

"Calm down, Eli." Aiden said after returning his Frogadier into his Pokeball.

Eli glared at Aiden before returning his partner to his Pokeball. "I'm done." he hissed, turning to leave.

"Are you having any second thoughts yet, Grandpa?" Korrina asked as they watched him.

...

"I can't thank all of you again for throwing me a party. It's truly something I'll always treasure in my heart." Diantha said as she stood by the entrance of Shalour City.

"I can't thank you enough for taking the time to come over." Gurkinn replied.

"It was truly an honor to meet you." Aiden gave Diantha a respectful bow, "I wish you luck on your future."

Diantha gave Aiden a warm smile. "Same to you, Aiden. And you, too, Vivienne. Along with little Mica as well." she chuckled as she playfully tapped Mica's nose with a finger.

"So what are you going to do now?" Vivienne asked.

Diantha turned her head silently to gaze over at the sunset in the horizon. A faraway look present in her eyes as they glittered like the sea water. "I've been given some time off from my acting career. So I'll be taking the time to just visit some old places and such. Maybe see a few old friends if I'm lucky. Any way, I must be off."

"Feel free to come back anytime." Korrina said.

Diantha nodded. After a final farewell, she left.

"Looks like I'll be staying around a bit longer." Vivienne chuckled, "I still need that third badge."

"That's right." Aiden chuckled, "Good luck."

Vivienne smiled a shy smile at Aiden. "Thank you. I wish you luck on your fourth badge."

"Hey, Aiden?" Korrina walked up to him with a surprisingly shy look on her face. Her right hand was on her left arm as she shuffled her feet slightly.

"Yeah Korrina?" Aiden replied.

"That was a pretty good battle we had up in the tower." she said, "I can see why Lucario likes you. He felt the same way towards Natalie, but the bond wasn't strong enough. It didn't have time to develop. But you came along. Even though he doesn't have Natalie, he has you. So please take care of him for me."

Aiden placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her an assuring nod. "Don't worry. I will." he said. Korrina smiled. What happened next took everyone by surprise that Vivienne nearly dropped Mica. Aiden froze when he felt a light peck on his cheek. His mother had always kissed him on the cheek, but he's never gotten anything like this. There was a light blush on Korrina's face after she pulled away.

"Yeah...well..." she cleared her throat, "See ya..."

Everyone else watched the young Gym Leader quickly skate away. Back to her Gym. Aiden stood where he was with a dumbfounded look on his face before he turned to Vivienne and Gurkinn.

"Did that really just happen?" he asked in a somewhat blank tone.

**X.X**

**:D**

**They're might be a little competition between Korrina and Vivienne.**


	15. Chapter 15

Aiden's heart leaped for joy once the holo image of his mother appeared on the Holo-Caster. Her hair was in its usual bun style and her signature pink apron was tied around her waist.

_"Aiden?" _she asked as she fixed her glasses a bit.

Aiden smiled. "Hi, mom. It's been a while." he replied.

_"Oh, my baby!" _his mother cried in joy as she slapped her hands together. _"Look at you Aiden, you've grown since I last saw you."_

"Yeah, well..." Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. The moment felt a little awkward. "How are things back home?" he asked.

_"Fine, Honey. Your father is at work, but nothing's changed since you've left" _his mother replied, _"Where are you now?"_

"I'm staying at a Pokemon Center in Coumarine City. I just got here and it's very late. But I decided to call and see how things were back home. By the way! I got a new Pokemon."

_"Really? What Pokemon would that be?"_

"It's a Lucario! The Gym Leader of Shalour City gave him to me after an epic battle we had! Apparently the Lucario likes me a lot."

_"That's wonderful, Aiden. You're beginning to remind me of Ruby when he first started his journey."_

"Huh? Ruby?" Aiden whispered. He then closed his eyes and smiled. That's right. Ruby is one of the heroes who saved Hoenn from Teams Aqua and Magma. Along with Sapphire and Steven, they were able to summon Rayquaza and stop the raging fude between Groudon and Kyogre. Steven is still the current champion of Hoenn, but the whereabouts of Ruby and Sapphire are still unknown. Aiden always saw him as an idol when he was younger. "Anyway, I have to get going now."

_"That's right. You should get your rest." _his mother said.

Aiden chuckled. "Of course mom, love you."

_"I love you too, Aiden. Call me back when you have the time."_

Aiden nodded and ended the call. A sigh left him as he placed his Holo-Caster on the nightstand by his bed and turned his attention over to the window. It was a clear night and could see nothing but dark blue water and a large full moon with the stars glittering around it.

_I wonder what those little red lights are in the horizon? _He thought tiredly before falling asleep.

...

Aiden woke up rather early the next morning. Just as the strands of sunlight reached over the horizon to mark the beginning of a new day. It actually gave Aiden enough time to Train his Pokemon for the next battle. He threw the covers aside, got dressed, and left the Pokemon Center. The City was almost deserted. Except for the few fishermen out at sea doing their morning rounds. He had already battled a few Trainers on his way over to Coumarine last night, and decided to head over to the beach to see if there were any fishermen who wanted a quick battle. To his dismay, there were none.

"Well this sucks." Aiden sighed before falling on the sand. The scent of ocean salt filled his nostrils as he gazed at the sea silently. It wasn't so bad. Especially the sunrises and sunsets in this region. He didn't think much of Kalos when he first arrived. But looking at it now, he wasn't regretting his decision to come one bit. A small light coming from his Mega Ring suddenly caught his attention. He lifted his wrist up and noticed the Lucarionite glowing. "What the hell?" he muttered to himself.

The light suddenly grew brighter and he felt an overwhelming urge to stand up. Once he did he outstretched his arm to get the light away from his eyes. "What the hell is going on with this thing?" he asked himself. As if on autopilot, he suddenly found himself walking in a direction he didn't remember thinking of walking in. As he did the light grew brighter and brighter. As though it was leading him somewhere. He then stopped in front of a large rock. By now the light had become so bright that it caught the attention of some freshmen out at sea.

He noticed a second light. Though this one was a pale red. He knelt down and looked behind the rock. A soft gasp left him before he outstretched his hand and reached towards the glowing red stone. As soon as he pulled it out, the glowing stopped. Aiden examined the sphere shaped stone he now held. It was a Mega Stone. A red Mega Stone. But for what Pokemon? He placed the Mega Stone in his pocket for safe keeping. Just as he turned to go back to Coumarine City...

_CRASH!_

A young girl-age 14-with long lime green hair suddenly fell face-first on the sand. She appeared to be wearing a white tank top with green shorts, boots, and gardening gloves.

"GOOD ARCEUS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" he gasped as he ran over to help the girl.

The young teen sat up on her knees before rubbing her head a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, "This isn't the first time this has happened to me. For me to trip and fall on my face is kind of a habit." She looked at Aiden with glittering sunflower yellow orbs and a smile. "Thanks for your concern, though."

Aiden smiled and nodded. "Not a problem. When I heard you fall I knew I had to come over and see if you're alright."

The girl suddenly held her head up high and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, thanks. I'm actually out looking for a hat."

"A hat?" Aiden asked.

"My grandfather's hat. It was given to me as a gift after I inherited his Gym."

"Wait, _you're _the Coumarine City Gym Leader?"

"Yep! Eglantine Fukuji of Unova at your service!"

"Eglantine, huh?" Aiden smiled, "I'm Aiden. I was actually going to challenge you later."

Eglantine raised both of her eyebrows leaned back a bit as though she was surprised. "Really? Well isn't awkward then. Challenger meeting Challenger. This is certainly something that doesn't happen every day." she giggled.

"Tell me about it." Aiden murmured. He then offered out his hand to Eglantine, who accepted it and allowed herself to be helped up. "So what was it that you were looking for?" he asked.

"My hat. My grandfather's actually. It's sort of a dark green flat cap, if you know what I'm saying. I was wearing it when a large gust of wind suddenly came out of nowhere and sent it flying in this direction! I ran after it, but before I knew it I suddenly tripped and fell."

"If you want, I can help you find your hat." Aiden offered.

Eglantine's yellow eyes suddenly glimmered with joy. "Really? You'll do that for me?" she asked.

"Of course. I can't just stand around and do nothing."

"Great!" Eglantine leaped for joy before gently taking Aiden's wrist and tugging him along. The duo spent most of the morning searching high and low at the beach for the missing hat. But came to no avail. Just when they were about to give up hope, Aiden spotted something moving against the wind.

"Is that it?" he asked, pointing his finger up at the tree branch.

Eglantine gasped. "Yes! That's it!" she said before she swiftly brought out a Pokeball and tossed it out. A long green Pokemon emerged from the capsule. A Pokemon standing on two short legs. "Servine, see if you can get Grandpa's hat down before the wind takes it again!"

"Servine!" the Pokemon nodded before two vines emerged from her sides.

"Is that your starter Pokemon?" Aiden asked as he watched in awe.

"Mm hm! In Unova, we have different starters. This is just her second evolution."

The vines carefully wrapped themselves around the cap before swiftly pulling it down. She then handed the cap over to her Trainer when she and Aiden ran over. She purred happily when she received a rewarding pat on the head.

"Nice job, Servine!" Eglantine said before returning her Pokemon to her Pokeball.

"Looks like you got your cap back." Aiden said as he watched her adjust it on her head.

"And I couldn't have done it without your help, Aiden." Eglantine smiled at him, "Say, I'm going over to my grandfather's grave. Would you like to come?"

Aiden blinked. Did she just ask him if he wanted to visit a dead guy's grave? Not that he was being disrespectful or anything. As if reading his mind, Eglantine added, "It's not very far. It's actually very secluded. But I'll understand if you don't want to go."

"No, no." Aiden assured her, "I would like to come. What's your grandfather's name?"

"Ramos." Eglantine replied.

...

Eglantine wasn't kidding when she told him the grave was secluded. The grave itself was nothing but a rocky grave mark near the edge of an ocean cliff outside of town. Surrounding it were flowers of different species. Laying against the marker was an old photograph with an old man and his Gogoat. In his hands was a pair of large silvery hedge trimmers.

"Grandpa always loved his garden." Eglantine chuckled softly as she gazed at the grave with folded hands, "Gogoat and Grandpa were like two peas in a pot. Soon after grandpa died, Gogoat died too. They were both cremated and their ashes were released on this very spot. Grandpa Ramos was a very good Gym Leader, so after he passed away I inherited it and his remaining Pokemon. It's been over a year since he died. So..." she brought out an Eglantine rose from her pocket and placed it in front of the picture, "Rest in Peace."

Aiden gave Ramos and Gogoat a silent pray. He's heard about the old man from Calem after he challenged him. It seems he always had a habit of using the name "whippersnapper" or "sprout" on everyone.

"Well then!" Eglantine clapped her hands together and looked over to Aiden, "How about we go back to town and have that Gym battle, eh?"

"Sounds good." Aiden agreed.

The two turned and left the gravesite and soon reached the main road. Aiden suddenly came to a pause when he noticed something running in the opposite direction of them. A large dust cloud following behind it. "What the hell is that?" he asked. Eglantine stopped and looked over as well.

"That looks like..."

"HELP US!" A little girl was on the back of a shiny Skiddo. Both with horrified expressions on their faces. Aiden barely had time to jump out of the way when the glittering Skiddo suddenly crashed into him and the girl fell into the arms of Eglantine.

"SALLY!" she gasped.

"Eglantine!" Sally looked up at the young Gym Leader with watery eyes before she immediately buried her face in her top and wept heavily.

Aiden groaned as he pushed himself up once the Skiddo climbed off him and bowed her head in apology. "What's going on here?" he asked as he dusted some dirt off his already wrecked jeans.

"Sally, what's wrong? What happened to you and Skiddy? Where's your father?" Eglantine asked as she hugged the weeping girl tightly. Sally's sobs were soon reduced to hiccups as she looked up at Eglantine with watery, frightened eyes.

"Oh, Eggy! It was horrible! Just horrible!"

"What happened? You must tell us what happened!" Eglantine said.

Sally sniffed, "It all started this morning..."

_Flashback_

_It was a pleasant morning for "Baa de Mer Ranch" and its only two human occupants. Skiddos of all sizes casually grazed or rested in the lush green pastures under the rising sunlight as it claimed the land once more. _

_Sally happily ran through the pasture with Skiddy by her side. Running over to the watering hole that was present on their Ranch. Despite being a family of two, Sally and her father managed to survive this far in the world. Sally, being the carefree child she still was, played with her favorite Skiddo without a care in the world. _

_"Come on, Skiddy! Let's go play in the water!" she giggled. _

_"Baa! Baa!" Skiddy cried happily. _

_As soon as they arrived, Sally grabbed a handful of water before splashing it all over Skiddy's leafy coat. Skiddy retaliated by jumping into the watering hole itself and splashing water all over the place. Sally laughed and screamed happily when a large splash of water hit her. Her laughter slowly died down when something suddenly caught her eye. She curiously made her way over to the wooden, ignoring the fact that she was still a bit wet._

_"Baa?" Skiddy climbed out of the watering hole and joined her Trainer by the fence._

_"Do you see that Skiddy?" she asked in a wondrous voice. _

_It was a light. Probably the brightest light she's ever seen coming from the beach. Both Trainer and Pokemon watched it as though they were in a trance until a loud noise snapped them out of it. _

_"What was that?" Sally asked. A gasp of fear left her when she noticed smoke coming from the Ranch. "Father!" she cried before jumping on her Skiddo's back. "Come on, Skiddy! We have to see if daddy's okay!"_

_"Baa! Baa!" Skiddy nodded before bolting at high speed back to the ranch. They were only a mile away when they suddenly spotted a grim scene._

_Men and women dressed in familiar red suits were forcing the other Skiddos into large cages big enough to fit four or five of them. Some of which were already cramped with seven! She spotted her father, tied up in thick ropes and glaring up at a woman who was dressed different. She was wearing sleeveless black top with orange-red lines and matching black pants and boots. Her hair was pink and it was in a style that she couldn't describe. One of her hands was on her hips and she was tapping her foot a bit impatiently. _

_"For the last time, old man, where is that shiny Skiddo of yours?" the woman asked in a cold, ruthless tone of voice that sent fear throughout Sally and Skiddy. _

_"Like I would tell anyone like __**you **__people." her father growled. _

_"Look, the Boss gave is instructions not to harm you or your kid in anyway. Our orders are to snatch all of the Skiddos on your damn Ranch. Including that shiny one. Now, I'll ask you one more time." the woman brought out a Pokeball, "Where. Is. That. Shiny. Skiddo?"_

_Greg kept his mouth shut and had his eyes wander away from the woman's hidden gaze. His eyes came to dead stop and widened when he spotted his daughter and Skiddy. He gave them both a look that clearly said "Run and get help"._

_Sally whimpered before she gently tugged on Skiddy's petite horns. "Come on, Skiddy. We have to get help for daddy." she said tearfully. _

_"HEY! I FOUND THEM!" a grunt suddenly yelled, pointing his finger over to them._

_Sally gasped in fear and nearly fell of Skiddy's back. _

_"RUN, SALLY, RUN!" Greg roared._

_The woman snapped her head over to them, a reddish-pink visor present on her face along with a small flare insignia on the upper left side of her chest, and snarled. "GET THEM!" she screeched. A few of the Grunts suddenly tossed out their Pokemon, most of which were Houndours or Golbats._

_"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Sally cried before directing Skiddy away from them. Dodging some attacks that were thrown at them in an attempt to stop them._

_Flashback ends_

By the time Sally had finished, a new wave of tears rushed down her face. "That's how Skiddy and I got here. Those bullies in red attacked us!"

Aiden and Eglantine looked at one another. Aiden clenched his hand into a fist as anger swelled up in him. How _dare _they do this sort of thing to this little girl. Especially to her only family! He had only encountered Team Flare once, but he was getting the feeling that he was going to have another real soon. "Don't worry, Sally." Aiden said firmly, "I'll head on over to your Ranch and teach those red bullies a lesson."

Sally's eyes glittered with hope. "Y-you will?" she sniffed.

Aiden smiled and nodded. "Cross my heart and hope to die." he said.

"If that's the case, then I'm coming too." Eglantine said, "I've only know this family for two and a half years, but they've been so kind to me since I first arrived. It's the least I could do for them."

Aiden knew that there wouldn't be a point in trying to convince her to not go. So instead he only nodded before looking back at Sally and Skiddy. "Sally, you and Skiddy head on over to Officer Jenny's station. Ok? You'll be safer there then out here. Stay with her until we come back."

"Okay." Sally bobbed her head.

...

"So you've met these guys before?" Eglantine whispered as they snuck their way through Route 12.

"Yeah. A friend and I saw them in Glittering Cave. They were doing the same thing over there: caging up Pokemon." Aiden couldn't help but growl softly at the thought. Pokemon weren't meant to be in cages! To have a Pokemon in a cage is beyond cruel. It's blasphemy! Oh, as soon as he storms into that Ranch...

"Aiden!" Eglantine whispered sharply, "Pay attention! You almost stepped on a twig!"

"Oh. Sorry." Aiden quickly apologized.

The two were now mere feet from the Ranch entrance, which was packed with Flare Grunts and their Pokemon.

"So what's the plan?" Eglantine asked.

Aiden was dead silent for a moment before he replied. "I don't have one." he admitted.

"WHAT!?" Eglantine yelled out in dismay.

"Hey! Just what the hell are you kids doing here!?" a Grunt yelled.

Crap...

**X.X**

**Uh oh... Thus begins our second encounter with Team Flare and their second Commander...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning: Mild language**

**X.X**

Eglantine couldn't remember the last time she felt this frightened. Not since the whole incident with Team Plasma trying to convince everyone to release their Pokemon. Though she found it a little hypocritical because Team Plasma used Pokemon themselves. No. That isn't compared to what she's feeling right now. Aiden kept his eyes straight as the Grunt led them to their Commander, who was standing by Greg.

"Well what do we have here? Did you kids come here to play? Well I'm sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but I'm afraid this area is off limits." the pink haired woman said.

"We didn't come here to play! And we're not kids!" Eglantine snapped.

"Eglantine!" Aiden hissed sharply, "You'll only convince her to think that your weak. Stay strong and say nothing." He whispered in a low voice so that only Eglantine could hear.

Eglantine bit her bottom lip unsuringly before nodding.

"What are you planning on doing to the children?" Greg asked. His voice was slightly hoarse from the screaming he had done earlier.

"Hm? Oh, nothing much. If they don't get in our way, that is."

"Hey, I know you!" Sally suddenly gasped.

"You do?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah! I've seen her in TV before! She's one of the Elite Four members! Malva Pachira!"

Aiden gasped. Was that really Malva? One of the Elite Four members of Kalos who suddenly left both the Pokemon League and region for purposes unknown. Some say it's because of the death of her cousin, Lysandre.

"Oh. So you _do _have a brain." Malva sneered.

"What's the big deal!? Why are you stealing Greg's Skiddos!?" Eglantine cried.

"That is none of your business, brat." Malva replied, "And as you both don't know, _I _was in the middle of interrogating this man into telling me where that damn shiny Skiddo of his is. Hm." She turned to both Eglantine and Aiden. "Did you two happen to see a kid and her shiny Skiddo hop by? If so then tell me," she then brings out a Pokeball, "for your sake."

Aiden noticed the Mega Ring on Malva's left wrist and could only guess what Pokemon she had in the Pokeball. However. Mustering all of the courage he had, he kept his mouth shut and shook his head. It was then that Malva threw her head back and let out a chilling laugh.

"Oh! You wicked little Trainer!" she gave Aiden a sinister grin, "Did you really think you could trick me _that _easily? Even your damn cousin could do better!" She pressed the button in the middle of the Pokeball and released her Pokemon: Vicious looking male Houndoom who was missing one of his horns and had a long scar running down his right eye. The Pokemon's lips were curled back, revealing sharp white teeth and a low growl coming from his throat.

"Now." Malva pushed her visor back a bit, "I'm going to give you one more chance. Did you happen to see a girl and her Arceus damn shiny Skiddo hop by?"

"What happens if I refuse to speak?" Aiden said firmly.

"Then I'll have Houndoom here maul this man to shreds." Malva said casually as she gestured to Greg with her finger. Houndoom stood a few feet from Greg, snarling and snapping his deadly jaws at him. Greg shot a look of sheer terror at Eglantine and Aiden.

One of the Grunts suddenly perked up at this and cautiously approached Malva before whispering in her ear, "But Ma'am. The Boss gave us strict orders NOT to harm the man or his daughter in any way."

Malva rolled her eyes behind her visor. "What choice do I have? Unless this brat here spills the beans, I'm going to have to take desperate measures. And besides, it's not like she'll know. _Won't she_?"

The Grunt shuddered. "N-no ma'am." he replied nervously.

"Good!"

"Eglantine." Aiden whispered, "Try to reach into my bag."

"What?" Eglantine asked.

"Try to reach into my bag and take out a Pokeball. I have about five of them in there."

"Which one do I choose?"

"Any!" Aiden was beginning to sound a little desperate.

Eglantine carefully slipped her hand into his bag and rummaged through it as slowly and quietly as possible. A flicker of hope sparked in her chest when she felt a small sphere against the back of her fingers. She swiftly grabbed the Pokeball and threw it out.

"Combusken!" Combusken screeched.

"You little bastard!" Malva hissed, "You wicked little Trainers! No matter. Tear them apart, Houndoom!" The Houndoom suddenly charged the trio with a look of murder on his face.

"Use Double Kick and hurry!" Aiden shouted. Combusken swiftly kicked the Houndoom back with two powerful blows to the chest. The horned dog did a quick back flip and landed in front of his Trainer.

"Oh? Looks like you'll prove to be a challenge after all. Let's see if you can handle two Pokemon!" Malva threw out a second Pokeball, this time revealing a female Chandelure.

"We'll see about that!" Eglantine yelled before throwing out a Pokemon of her own.

"Politoed!" the green frog croaked.

"Two against one? That seems hardly fair at all." Malva said in a mocking sad tone, "No matter! I've defeated plenty of Trainers during my name in the Elite Four. This should end rather quickly. Houndoom, use Crunch on Combusken! Chandelure, use Confuse Ray on Politoed!" she roared.

"Combusken, try to dodge and use Double Kick again!" Aiden yelled.

"Politoed, use Hydro Pump on Chandelure!" Eglantine cried.

Combusken collided with Houndoom whole Politoed's Hydro Pump managed to hit Chandelure. Chandelure suddenly looked enraged, for the purple flames that surrounded her suddenly grew brighter.

"That...can't be good." Eglantine said.

"Chandelure, use Hex on both Combusken and Politoed!" Malva yelled.

And dark aura suddenly surrounded both Pokemon before they both collapsed on their knees and screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Combusken!" Aiden screamed.

"Oh, no!" Eglantine cried.

"Houndoom, finish Combusken off with Feint Attack!"

The horned dog mercilessly struck Combusken with no warning whatsoever. The bipedal bird was suddenly sent flying before landing a few feet from them.

"COMBUSKEN!"

Combusken didn't move a muscle. Houndoom went over and roughly nudged the down Pokemon with his snout. He was then taken by surprise when Combusken's sharp claws suddenly lashed out at him and struck his face.

"You bastard!" Malva screeched, "Chandelure, take care of Politoed for me!" Chandelure nodded and proceeded to preform another Hex attack.

"Not this time! Politoed, use Aqua Ring!" Eglantine cried.

Blue rings suddenly surrounded Politoed and the Pokemon regained some of his health just as he was struck by another Hex attack. Combusken also received some damage as well, but didn't let it hold him down.

"Oooh! You wicked Trainers!" Malva hissed, "I could just burn you all alive right about now."

Houndoom landed devastating Beat Up attack on Combusken. The bipedal bird felt himself growing closer to defeat by the minute. Malva's Pokemon were just too damn strong! It's no joke that she was, indeed, a member of the Elite Four.

"Try to hang in there, Combusken!" Aiden cried. He was tempting to return Combusken to his Pokeball and bring out Frogadier instead. But knowing his partner, he wouldn't allow it. Combusken can be a little stubborn at times. But this wasn't a game, though. This was serious. Aiden was beginning to run out of options when...

Combusken threw his head back and let out a screech just before a bright light enveloped him in its blissful embrace. Everyone froze and watched as the Pokemon evolved before their eyes. Combusken's form suddenly grew taller, his limbs grew longer, and a brief blaze surrounded it before disappearing. The new Pokemon stood before Houndoom with a burning rage.

"Blaziken!" Aiden gasped.

Eglantine took advantage of the situation and immediately turned back to her Politoed. "Quick, Politoed, finish Chandelure off with Water Gun!" Politoed snapped back to the battle and unleashed a powerful Water Gun attack on Chandelure, defeating her.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT YOU CHANDELURE!" Malva roared after she returned her defeated Pokemon to her Pokeball. The Mega Stone on her Mega Ring suddenly glowed, reacting to her anger and frustration. Houndoom's sinister red eyes suddenly flashed as he reacted to the Mega Stone. A sudden inferno surrounded him as he Mega Evolved into a much more deadlier version of Houndoom. The inferno vanished, revealing a sinister looking Houndoom. His horns were longer and appeared to have some kind of bone plating covering his entire chest. Bone was the only word Aiden could think of to describe it.

Politoed suddenly jumped into his Trainer's arms. Fear running into his system. Even Eglantine looked a little scared as she returned her Pokemon to the safety of his Pokeball.

Aiden, however, was strangely calm. He then noticed a light coming from his pocket and reached in to take out the source: the Mega Stone he'd found earlier.

"Blaziken! Blaziken!" Blaziken called out his partner.

"Huh, are you sure Blaziken?" Aiden asked, looking at the glowing Mega Stone. Blaziken smiled and nodded. "Blaziken..." Aiden smiled and nodded back. "Alright, Blaziken! Let's do this together!" he roared as he swiftly replaced the Lucarionite with the new Mega Stone. An inferno surrounded Blaziken as well before it disappeared, revealing a stronger looking Blaziken.

"Is that Mega Evolution!?" Eglantine gasped. She's heard of it, but never seen.

"Houndoom, use Thunder Fang on Blaziken!" Malva screeched.

"Blaziken, dodge and use High Jump Kick!" Aiden roared. Mega Blaziken swiftly dodged Mega Houndoom's Thunder Fang and kicked him below the jaw. The Mega Pokemon crashed into one of the stables a few feet away. Mega Houndoom eemerged from the wreckage and unleashed a frustrated Flamethrower. Malva herself was beginning to get frustrated.

"Use Inferno on Blaziken NOW!" Malva roared. Mega Houndoom charged Mega Blaziken as a blaze suddenly engulfed him.

"Counter with Blaze Kick!" Aiden roared. Mega Blaziken charged Mega Houndoom before jumping in the air. Both Pokemon collided and large inferno was made before it was reduced into a cloud of smoke. As soon as the smoke cleared, it revealed that both Pokemon had returned to their normal forms. Both fire types stood across from the other, glaring. A full minute had past until Houndoom collapsed on the ground in defeat.

"Impossible!" Malva gasped, "You wicked Trainer!" The Flare commander returned her Pokemon to his Pokeball and growled. "This isn't over. Everyone! Abort the mission!" she shouted.

"Right!" the Grunts said in unison. In a manner of minutes, they were all gone.

"Blaziken!" Aiden gasped as he ran over to his partner's side. The Blaziken fell on knee, completely drained from the battle and damage he received. "Oh, Blaziken, I'm so sorry you had to go through this." Aiden said as he buried his face in his Pokemon's chest. He felt Blaziken gently run his beak through his hair in a sign of comfort and assurance. Aiden smiled. "You did really amazing out there. I knew you could do it..."

"That was amazing, Aiden." Eglantine said as she approached the two, "I don't think I've ever seen such a powerful bond between Pokemon and Trainer. Is that how Mega Evolution works?"

"Um... Excuse me?" a voice asked.

Aiden, Eglantine, and Blaziken looked over to see Greg and caged Skiddos.

"I'd hate to ruin the moment but I could use a little help here." he said.

...

The early afternoon sun was almost midway by the time the Police had arrived on the scene. Like Glittering Cave, Team Flare was long gone. Aiden forgot to ask Malva if she knew anyone by the name of "Venice". Because when he encountered Team Flare in Glittering Cave, there weren't a lot of them. He was starting to grow suspicious that there might be something else to this whole caging Pokemon up thing.

"I can't thank you two enough for saving my daddy and Skiddy's friends!" Sally said as they stood outside the entrance to the ranch.

"No prob. And sorry about the damage." Aiden said.

Greg laughed and shrugged it off. "It's fine. We've gotten hit with wroser things." he assured him.

"Here! I want you both to take these!" Sally held out both her hands, each holding a sun shaped orange rock, "These are sun stones! Skiddy and I found them on the Ranch the other day, but we have no use for them. Consider it a thank you present!"

"Thanks!" Eglantine said as she and Aiden accepted the gifts. She then turned to Aiden and smirked. "So! You still up for a gym battle or what?" she asked.

Aiden smiled. "I'm never too tired for a Gym battle." he replied, "Let's go."

...

"ARCEUS DAMN IT!" Malva angrily threw her visor against the fall. But it didn't break. She had been fuming and fuming since her defeat. She's forgotten what defeat even felt like! She's been defeated in Training fights, but not from an actual battle. Oh, how she hated losing. More so against the cousin of the boy who had _her _cousin killed. Never has she felt so much hate towards someone. Never!

The sudden ring tone of her phone-yes, phone- caught her attention and she stormed over to her desk and snatched it up. "WHAT!?" she yelled. Her anger levels started to go down when she heard the voice on the other side. "Who is this?" she asked, much more calmer. She took a seat on the edge of her bed and listened. "Venice? I don't remember a Grunt named Venice."

Then again she was hardly EVER on base two years prior to this. Something suddenly clicked in her head and she frowned. "Is this a joke? Because I swear if it is-"

The voice cut her off. Malva would've she felt her heart stop. "Wait... You're where? How did you-!?" Malva never did manage to finish that sentence.

**X.X**

**In the game, MALVA DOESN'T HAVE A HOUNDOOM. But this takes place two years later, and a LOT has changed so far. **


End file.
